


Near Miss

by Rehearsal_Dweller



Series: Near Miss AU [5]
Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: M/M, Modern AU, Single Dad AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:07:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 32,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23874448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rehearsal_Dweller/pseuds/Rehearsal_Dweller
Summary: Jack Kelly and David Jacobs have never met.They'vealmostcrossed paths, they share friends, David's sister is marrying one of Jack's best friends - but somehow they've never managed to actually be in the same place at the same time.Until now.
Relationships: Crutchie & Jack Kelly, David Jacobs & Les Jacobs, David Jacobs & Sarah Jacobs, David Jacobs/Jack Kelly, Jack Kelly & Katherine Plumber Pulitzer, Sarah Jacobs/Katherine Plumber Pulitzer, Spot Conlon/Racetrack Higgins
Series: Near Miss AU [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1735408
Comments: 355
Kudos: 217





	1. If I Hate the Headline, I'll Make Up a Headline

**Author's Note:**

> Heeeeeey! I'm here with a CHAPTERED STORY for the first time in maybe four years. Woo!  
> Basically I was like "hey why do all the single dad aus give JACK the kids?" and this fic was born. The first two chapters are the same day from both boys' POVs, but the rest of the story will be a little more linear. Hope you like it!

“Look, Katydid,” Jack says, leaning on Katherine’s desk, “I didn’t make the rules. I’m just sayin’ you oughtta stick to ‘em.”

“Yeah, no, Jack,” replies Katherine. “First of all, you didn’t ‘introduce me’ to bisexuality, I was bi long before I met you. Second of all, even if you _did_ , that would not entitle you to best man-hood.”

“You know what does, though?” says Jack, grinning. “I’m your best friend, and you _know it_.”

Katherine laughs. “You’re on the short list! I told you that already!”

“But I should be alone on that list,” Jack says. He throws his hands wide. “Because I’m your best friend, and you love me.”

“You are not my best friend,” says Katherine, shaking her head. “You know who my best friend is? _Sarah_.”

“Sarah does _not_ count,” Jack insists. “Kath! Kathy, Katydid, come on. You’re marrying Sarah, which automatically disqualifies her from being maid of honor. Which means that it should go to me!”

“I have other friends, Jack!” replies Katherine. “In fact if you must know, I’m considering Specs, too. And _he_ isn’t pestering me.”

“I’ve known you longer than Specs.”

“Specs is a thousand times less of a pain in my ass than you, though.”

Jack lets out a cry of mock-outrage. “God, some best friend _you_ are. Maybe I don’t even wanna be your best man anymore.”

“That is a lie and we both know it,” Katherine says with an eyeroll. “Don’t you have work to do? You know, for your job?” She waves toward his desk, across the room from hers. “At least go bother Finch or someone instead of me, I’ve got a deadline.”

Jack groans theatrically. “ _Fine_. At least Finch appreciates me.”

“No, I don’t!” Finch, Jack’s fellow photographer, calls from his desk. “Kathy, you can keep him.”

“You’re lucky I got field shit to do today, Finchy, or I’d be in your business _all day_ for that,” Jack calls back.

“Like you ain’t already up in my business all the time,” Finch replies.

“Well field work or Finch’s business, get the hell off my desk, Kelly,” says Katherine, shoving playfully at his lower back.

“A’right, a’right, I know where I’m not wanted,” Jack says, standing up. He winks. “Just think about it, darlin’.”

“I will, Jack. I am.” She flicks his side. “Now get going.”

\--

The one thing Jack really loves about this job is getting out and actually taking pictures. He spends so much of his life back at the office, sorting through hundreds of photos and carefully editing them, that the days when he can actually go into the world with his camera feel like a breath of fresh air.

Not to mention the fact that he’s usually done early.

He’s just enjoying that fact – that he’s already finished with the project he’s out for, with no expectation of returning to the office, and it’s not even four o’clock yet – when he remembers that he promised to pick up his nephew today, and hightails it to the elementary school.

He isn’t late, thank god. He hops in the pickup line, and even before he reaches the curb he can see the tiny blond with his two bags bouncing on the balls of his feet and talking excitedly with a little girl with long brown hair. His eyes light up when he sees Jack’s car, and he darts forward, only to be caught by one of the teachers doing dismissal. She doesn’t let him approach any further until Jack’s come to a full stop and unlocked the doors. He holds up the little window tag that Race and Spot gave him that shows he’s allowed to pick Frankie up.

As soon as he can, Frankie runs to the car. The teacher helps him open the door, and Frankie tosses his backpack and duffel bag in before crawling into his booster seat. Jack unclips his own seatbelt to turn around and help his nephew get buckled safely.

“Hey, squirt!” he says, grinning.

“Hi Uncle Jack!” Frankie replies. He pulls the door shut behind him.

Jack gives him a high five before he turns around and rebuckles his own seatbelt before setting off. “How was school? Do anything super exciting?”

“We talked about families!” says Frankie. “We drew pictures too, you’re on mine! Do you wanna see it?”

“How about you show me a little later?” Jack says, laughing. “I can’t look at it while I’m driving. Gotta be safe, remember.”

“Right, gotta be safe,” Frankie echoes. Jack glances back and sees that he’s nodding solemnly. “Well my drawin’ has me and daddy and poppa and you and gram and Auntie Smalls and Uncle Charlie and Uncle Bryan, and I didn’t tell my teacher that Uncle Charlie’s not really my uncle ‘cause I don’t want her to think I was lyin’.”

Jack laughs again. “Uncle Charlie’s family, even though he’s not quite brothers with Daddy. It’s not lying. Just like Uncle Bry's your granddad even though he's not Daddy's dad.”

“I know,” says Frankie.

“You excited for dance today?” Jack asks, glancing back again. “How are you liking being in your dad’s class?”

“It’s _so_ fun,” Frankie answers, kicking his feet a little. “’Sept I don’t call him Daddy in class ‘cause he’s teachin’. That’s weird.”

“Makes sense, though,” says Jack. “You call him Mr Tony like everybody else?”

“Yup.” Frankie pops the p. And then, in true five-year-old fashion, distracts himself by making popping noises for another two minutes.

“Havin’ fun back there, kiddo?”

“ _Yup_!”

Jack laughs. “We’re here.”

“Yay!”

Jack gets out of the car and comes around to open Frankie’s door. The five-year-old has successfully unbuckled himself, and he grabs his dance bag and then holds his arms out for Jack to pick him up.

“Okay, kiddo, you got everything you need?” Jack says, hoisting him out of the car and onto his hip. “Shoes? Clothes? Snack from your dad that Poppa doesn’t know about?”

Frankie giggles. “Uh huh.”

“Good, let’s get’cha inside,” says Jack. He carries Frankie and his dance bag inside the studio, and they stop in the small locker room to get Frankie changed into his dance clothes.

“I got it, Uncle Jack,” says Frankie, pulling his bag out of Jack’s hands. “I’m _five_. I don’t need your help.”

“Alright, alright, heard,” Jack replies, putting his hands up in defeat. “I’ll be out in the hall, okay? Gotta scope out the spot for the mural. Give me a shout if you need me.”

“I won’t,” Frankie says firmly. Sure enough, he doesn’t. He meets Jack in the hall a few minutes later, his school uniform exchanged for a t-shirt tucked into some shorts, with a pair of tiny ballet shoes on his feet. “Okay, Uncle Jack. I’m ready!”

He and Jack walk upstairs to the room where his class is, and they wait together outside of it for a few minutes before it’s class time. Frankie uses the time to ramble about his school day a little more, which Jack loves, but he stops midsentence when the door opens, popping up out of his seat.

Frankie gives Jack a hug. “Bye, Uncle Jack! See you later! Thanks for driving me!”

“Bye, Frankie,” Jack replies, ruffling his nephew’s hair.

Frankie runs into the room, along with his classmates. Race sticks his head out into the hall before it’s time for class to start.

“Jack, thanks again for bringing Frankie,” Race says, waving back into the room in the vague direction of his son. “He usually comes with his friend Lee on Spot’s late day, but she had a doctor’s appointment today. Dunno what we’d do without you.”

“It wasn’t any trouble,” Jack replies. “You know I love the kid.”

“Still, thank you,” says Race. “You and Crutchie still comin’ to dinner tomorrow?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” says Jack. “Have a good class.”

Race nods, waving.

\--

“Honey, I’m home!” Jack calls, throwing the front door shut behind him.

Crutchie throws a dish towel at him. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Yeah, but you love me.”

“Despite my better judgment.”

Jack sits down on one of the barstools by the counter. “You’re like the fourth person to say that to me today.”

“S’cause you’re a pain in the ass,” says Crutchie, laughing. “How was Frankie?”

“A _delight_ , as always,” Jack answers. He grins, leaning forward on the counter with his hand on his chin. “God, if I ever have kids I hope they’re even half as cute as Frankie.”

“You’ve got to convince somebody to stick with you if you’re gonna have kids,” Crutchie points out, waving his spoon at Jack. “Which you ain’t got a great track record on, in case you’ve forgotten.”

“Yeah, yeah,” says Jack. “I didn’t say I _want_ a kid, I just said when I have one I hope they’re like Frankie. If I have one.”

Crutchie laughs. “How did pestering Kathy go?”

“She was not having it,” Jack says, rolling his eyes. “I reckon she’s still gonna pick me, though.”

“Yeah, she probably will,” says Crutchie. He returns his attention to his pot of pasta sauce. “And you’re going to be fucking _insufferable_.”

“Look, Crutchie, my man,” Jack replies, “it’s not every day two of your exes marry each other. I feel like I should get to be part of that moment. They might never have found each other if it weren’t for me.”

“The chances of it happening to you are a lot higher than it happening to anybody else,” Crutchie says. “Hell, hasn’t it happened once already?”

“No,” says Jack, waving him off. “They broke up, like, three weeks before the wedding, remember? Anyway the point is this is a big deal.”

“Of course,” says Crutchie, shaking his head. “Hey, speaking of your exes, we still on with the Higgins-Conlon crew tomorrow?”

“Don’t pluralize exes when you’re talking about them, god,” Jack replies, laughing. “I can’t handle the implication that I might’ve dated Spot.”

Crutchie snorts. “I stand by the fact that if you two weren’t adopted by the same woman, you would have.”

“Crutch _ie_ ,” Jack whines. “Please don’t.”

“It’s not my fault you’re like this, Jack,” says Crutchie. “Dinner?”

“Yes, we’re still on for dinner,” Jack replies. “Racer confirmed when I dropped Frankie off.”

“Amazing,” Crutchie says, smiling brightly at Jack. “It’s been way too long since I last had Spot’s cooking. Or Race’s. God, they’re both such great cooks.”

“Yeah, well don’t burn your own cooking,” says Jack, nodding toward Crutchie’s now-abandoned pot of sauce.

“ _Shit!”_ says Crutchie. He goes back to the stove, continuing to curse under his breath while Jack laughs.


	2. I'll Say Anything I Have To

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No rules in quarantine, I'm posting two chapters in one day.

“My sister asked me to be her best man,” David says, “which is great and all, but I’m pretty sure it means I have responsibilities now.”

Charlie laughs. “Yeah, but it’s an honor, right?”

“The last thing I need is more responsibilities,” replies David, shaking his head. “Like, I’ve already got to manage Les and Leah at the wedding, is that not enough?”

“Apparently not!” says Charlie. He leans back in his chair to look at David, who’s standing by the entrance to his cubicle. “Isn’t Les, like, nineteen? Can’t he manage himself?”

“Do you know any nineteen-year-olds, Charlie?” David asks. He shakes his head. “Les is going to be more trouble than my five-year-old, I swear.”

“God, you’re right,” Charlie replies. “My condolences, that’s gonna be a mess. Sarah gonna let him drink?”

David laughs. “Yeah, probably. So you see my point.”

“I won’t be any help, either, since my roomie is gonna be just as bad,” Charlie says. “He’s, y’know, twenty-five and something resembling a grown adult, but I’m still gonna end up babysitting him, I’m sure. He was a mess as a teenager and he’s a mess now.” He rolls his eyes.

“I keep forgetting you know Kath,” says David. “God, roommate or no roommate, at least I won’t be alone. I can count on my hands the number of friends Sarah and Katie have that I actually know.”

“I’m sure it isn’t that bad,” Charlie says, his tone sympathetic. “And if it is, I’ll introduce you to our crew. Katherine’s got us all coming. You’d fit in great. Race and Spot even have a kid about Leah’s age!”

David smiles. “Sure.”

\--

Leah, David’s five-year-old daughter, _adores_ her dance classes. She’s in three a week, on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Usually on Thursdays, David brings her and her friend Frankie to class from school, since one of Frankie’s fathers works later than usual on Thursday and the other is their dance teacher. But today, Leah has a doctor’s appointment.

It broke David’s heart a little to tell Leah she’d have to miss class – her pediatrician hadn’t had any other times available any time soon that worked for David’s schedule – but by the day of her appointment she’s happily bounced back. David picks her up from school as usual, just a little late but not so late that he’s missed pickup, and when he pulls up he can see Frankie and Leah chatting happily before Frankie runs to a car a few ahead of Davey’s.

“Hey, Leah-beah,” he sing-songs when she climbs into the car. “Need a hand with your car seat?”

“I got it, Daddy,” Leah replies, in that _I’m five, why would you think I need help_ tone she’s taken to using lately. She clips herself in expertly, and they set off.

“How was school today, sweetheart?” David asks, his eyes on the road.

“It was good!” Leah chirps, and he can hear her kicking her feet a little against her chair. “We made drawings about our families! I drew you and me and Uncle Les and Aunt Sarah and Aunt Katie and Gramma and Grampa! An’ then I helped Frankie ‘cause his family’s ginormous.”

“That sounds like a fun project,” says David.

“Frankie said his uncle was pickin’ him up from school today,” Leah continues. “How come Uncle Les never picks me up from school?”

“Uncle Les doesn’t know how to drive a car, sweetie,” David replies.

Leah giggles. “But he’s a grown up! How come he doesn’t know?”

“First of all, Uncle Les is only a grown up on the loosest of technicalities,” says David, laughing. “He’s basically a really tall baby. But second of all, I think he’s afraid of cars. You should definitely ask him all about it tonight at dinner when Aunt Sarah and Aunt Katie are visiting, okay?”

“Okay,” Leah says, nodding. She giggles again.

“Oh, and I have a surprise for you,” says David.

“A sur _prise_?” echoes Leah.

“Yep,” David replies. “Because you’ve been such a big girl about having to miss your class today, you and Frankie get to have a play date after your appointment since you missed dancing together! That sound good, Lee?”

“Yay!” Leah cheers, clapping her hands.

“I talked to his dads, and they said we could pick him up from class and you two can play until dinner time,” David says, grinning. He loves being able to make his daughter happy with little things like this. Frankie’s family lives across the hall from them, so play dates are plentiful and nothing particularly special, but it’s an easy way to make both children’s day. Sean and Tony, Frankie’s dads, had been all too happy to agree when David suggested it.

Leah’s appointment passes without incident, just a regular check-up. She gets a sticker at the end of Queen Anna – “Not princess anymore, Daddy, remember?” – which she proudly sticks in the center of her chest.

They arrive at the studio just as Leah’s class is letting out, and she chatters excitedly with her friends and shows off her sticker.

“Hey, Tony,” David says, watching the kids talk. “How was class?”

“Same as always,” replies Tony. “Frankie was bummed Lee wasn’t here, but he is beyond excited about their play date. Why today is any different from playin’ together after school two days ago is a mystery to me, but if he’s happy I ain’t gonna complain.”

David laughs. “Enjoy the free afternoon where you can get it, Higgins.”

“I already said I ain’t gonna complain,” Tony says, also laughing. “Got time to pick Sean up at work and go grocery shopping without Frankie underfoot.”

“God, grocery shopping _without_ a kindergartner?” says David. “I can’t even remember the last time I did that.”

“Give us a shout next time you want to, we’ll take ‘er for a couple hours,” Tony says. “Lord knows Frankie’ll never say no to having her over.”

“I’ll take you up on that,” David replies. “Alright, we’ll get out of your hair.” He turns toward the kids. “Leah! Frankie! Let’s get going! Sooner we’re home, the sooner you guys get to start playing.”

The kids cheer and scramble toward the stairs.

“See ya later, Daves.”

“Later, Tony.”

\--

The doorbell buzzes. David checks the time, swearing under his breath. 6:05.

“Les, can you buzz Sarah and Katie in?” he calls over his shoulder, walking toward Leah’s room.

“I got it,” Les yells back.

David taps on the door as he comes into Leah’s room. “Hey, kiddos. Lost track of time for a little bit there. It’s time for Frankie to go home.”

“ _Aw,_ no!” Frankie whines.

“Does he have to, Daddy?” Leah asks, popping up to her feet. She comes up to David and throws her arms around his waist.

“Yes, Lee-bee, he does,” David says, ruffling her hair. “Your aunts are here for dinner.”

“But what if Frankie stayed for dinner, too?”

“Come on, Bean, you’re gonna see him tomorrow,” says David. “Say goodbye.”

Leah sighs dramatically, flopping back to the floor. “Bye, Frankie.”

Frankie stands up. “Bye, Leah.”

David holds a hand out for Frankie to take, and when he does they walk through the apartment and out the front door. It takes fewer steps to get from the Jacobses’ front door to the Higgins-Conlons’ than from Leah’s room to the apartment door. David waves at his sister and her fiancée, who are coming up the stairs as he brings Frankie home.

“Hey girls,” he greets. “You can just head in, door’s unlocked. I’ll be back in a sec.”

Sarah and Katherine nod and go into David’s apartment, and David knocks on the Higgins-Conlon door.

The door opens almost immediately.

“Poppa!” Frankie greets. He drops David’s hand and throws his arms around his dad’s waist, then ducks inside.

David laughs. “Like thirty seconds ago, he and Lee were begging to keep playing.”

“That sounds about right,” says Sean. “They know tomorrow’s a school day, right? They’re gonna see each other in like fourteen hours.”

“I tried to tell them,” David replies, shaking his head. “Ah, well. See ya tomorrow, Sean.”

“See ya.”

David crosses the hall back to his own apartment, where his daughter has emerged from her room to sit next to Katherine at the dinner table. She’s playing with one of Katherine’s hands, fiddling with her rings and bracelets. David smiles; Katherine always wears extra jewelry when she knows she’ll be seeing Leah, knowing how much the little girl loves her “sparkles.” Kath’s a sweet girl – not to mention wicked smart – and David’s glad she and Sarah found each other.

When she sees her father, Leah blinks a few times, like she’s just remembered something. She turns toward Sarah and Les. “Oh! Is it true Uncle Les is afraid of cars?”

Sarah _cackles_. “Oh, yeah. He’s terrified.”

“Sar _ah_!” Les whines. “Don’t listen to her, Lee-bee, I ain’t scared of cars.”

“No, he’s scared of _driving_ cars,” David corrects. He takes a seat next to his brother, across the table from the girls. “Isn’t that right, Les?”

“You guys are the _worst_ ,” Les says, dropping his head onto the table. “The wo-o-orst.”

Leah stands up on her chair and reaches across the table to pat Les’s head with her little hand. “It’s okay, Uncle Les. I don’t know how to drive a car either.”

Sarah’s laughter is renewed at that, she’s got tears in her eyes. Katherine lets out a startled laugh too. David is grinning, but unfortunately has to have a parent moment.

“Leah, no feet on seats,” he says gently. “Chairs are for sitting.”

“Okay, Daddy.” Leah sits back down, and the conversation picks back up.

Leah is nodding off on David’s lap on the couch when Sarah and Katherine leave. He scoops her up and carries her to the door to say goodbye.

“A’right, sweetpea, say goodbye to Aunt Sarah and Aunt Katie,” he says to her, bouncing her a little so she’ll look up.

Leah waves, just a small close motion, yawning. “Bye-bye.”

“Bye, Lee,” says Sarah, kissing her niece on the forehead.

“Bye, Bean,” says Katherine. She rubs Leah’s back for a moment before pulling away. “See you guys soon.”

“See you,” says David. Once the girls leave, he carries Leah back to her room and tucks her in. “Did you have fun with Aunt Sar and Aunt Katie?”

“Uh huh,” Leah replies, yawning. “Can they come over again tomorrow?”

David chuckles. “I think they’re busy tomorrow. Maybe sometime next week.”

“Okay,” says Leah, nodding sleepily. “Next week.”

David kisses her on the forehead. “G’night sweetheart.”

“Night, Daddy,” Leah replies.

David lingers in her room for a moment, watching her fall asleep with a soft smile on his face.

This hadn’t been the plan. Raising a kid by himself, while his teenaged brother sleeps on his pull-out couch through college, had _never_ been the plan. But for every day David curses the world and the cost of childcare and Leah’s mom, there are a thousand little moments like this – quiet, happy, precious. David wouldn’t give this up for the world.


	3. Love at First Sight's For Suckers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, is that a plot? In _my_ fic?
> 
> (Okay but for real: while the first two chapters were J & D's POVs of the same day, the rest of the fic is more linear. I'll still be alternating POV though, with more lyric pair titles bc I do what I want.)

Jack’s due at Race’s studio to talk about the mural he’s painting for them in, like, twenty minutes. He’s checking his phone – he has texts from Ma and Kath to answer – when he walks right into another human being.

Said other human being, a tall man with dark curly hair, topples over. His coffee spills everywhere.

Jack’s kneeling next to him in an instant, offering him a hand. “Oh my god, I am so sorry.”

The man shakes his head a little, blinking up at Jack with shockingly blue eyes. “No, it’s alright, I wasn’t looking where I was going –“

_“I_ walked into _you_ ,” Jack insists. “C’mon, lemme help you up.” The man nods, and Jack pulls him to his feet. “I’m sorry about your coffee. Can I buy you another?”

“No, I –“ the man checks his watch. “ _Shit_. I was already running late, I don’t have time –“

“Which way ya headin’?” Jack asks.

“South,” the man replies, nodding in that direction. The same direction as the studio, which is _great_ because this guy is gorgeous and Jack kind of wants to keep talking to him.

“What a coincidence,” says Jack, “I’m heading that way, too. If I can’t buy you a coffee, can I at least keep ya company for a bit?”

“Sure,” the man replies, a slightly confused smile on his face. There’s a familiar flutter in Jack’s chest when he sees it.

“Feels like the least I can do for knockin’ you over,” Jack says. “I’m Jack, by the way. Jack Kelly.”

The man laughs. “David Jacobs.”

“Nice to meet’cha, Davey,” Jack says, grinning. They start walking together in the direction of the studio.

“Do you make a habit of demanding conversation from people you walk into?” Davey says, but he’s smiling.

“I try not to make a habit of walking into people, if I’m honest,” replies Jack.

“It probably would’ve been weirder if we’d gotten up and walked the same direction and _not_ talked,” Davey admits. “What do you do, when you’re not so deep in your phone that you wander into unsuspecting pedestrians?”

“He-ey!” Jack protests. He can feel a flush coming up in his cheeks – it’s not exactly the best first impression he’s ever given, although Davey’s tone is light and teasing. “This is a one-time situation, Mr. Jacobs. I don’t just go walkin’ into anybody.”

“Oh, just me. I feel so special,” says Davey, rolling his eyes. “Still, what do you do for a living? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“I’m a photographer,” Jack replies. “Bit of an artist on the side, though. That’s actually the job I’m heading to now, if I’m honest – got a mural project coming up, my brother-in-law commissioned me.”

“An artist? Cool! I’ve never been much of a creative type,” Davey says. “You must be pretty talented, if you’re getting commissioned for murals.”

Jack waves him off. “Don’t get too worked up, like I said, it’s for family.”

“Still better than anything I could do, I’m sure,” says Davey, smiling. It’s genuine and kind and _oh_ , that smile is getting to Jack already.

“What about you, then?” Jack asks. “You ain’t an artist, but what _do_ you do?”

“I’m an engineer,” Davey replies.

“Oh,” says Jack, thinking of Crutchie, “what kind?”

“Oh, uh, civil,” says Davey. “Most people don’t think to ask.”

“My roommate does CAD for an engineering firm,” Jack replies. He shrugs. “I don’t really get it, but Cru- Charlie talks about work all the time, s’kinda rubbed off.”

“Charlie?” Davey repeats, his brow furrowed. “Not Charlie Morris, by any chance? At Reid?”

“Uh, yeah, actually,” says Jack. “S’Reid your firm?”

“ _You’re_ Charlie’s roommate?” Davey replies, which Jack supposes more or less answers the question. “You’re Charlie’s Jack?”

“I guess so,” Jack says.

Davey laughs. “Jack, you’re going to my sister’s wedding.”

“The fuck? You’re not –“ Jack splutters for a moment. “Jacobs, oh my god. I thought Sarah’s brother was, like, eighteen.”

“That’s Les, you’re thinking of Les,” says Davey. “He’s nineteen and he lives on my couch. I’m Sarah’s twin.”

“I didn’t know Sarah had a twin,” Jack admits. “Okay, wait, if your sister is marrying my best friend and my other best friend is your coworker –“

“We literally share a cubicle wall,” Davey cuts in.

“That is ridiculous. How have we never met before?” says Jack.

Davey laughs again, and Jack tries to ignore the stupid flutter in his chest that comes back at the sound. It was one thing to think this guy was cute when he was just some random stranger that Jack was going to walk away from in a couple minutes but – but now he’s a guy Jack’s definitely going to see again, and he has to tread more carefully. Now Jack knows to look, he can see the resemblance to Sarah in the shape of Davey’s nose and the shade of his eyes and the faint spray of freckles across his cheeks.

“I’m not gonna lie,” Davey says, “it’s probably my fault. I have exactly no social life.”

“Well that don’t seem right,” says Jack. Davey seems nice, and Jack can tell he’s got a witty sarcastic streak that means at the very least that _Jack’s_ friends would probably adore him.

Davey shrugs. “The only adult friends I have outside work are my sister’s fiancée and my daughter’s best friend’s parents.”

_Daughter_. It catches Jack’s ear, ringing in his head. The part of him that is still, stubbornly attracted to this guy despite having just found out he’s Sarah’s twin notes that this means he probably isn’t available. That’s probably for the best. Still, the guy seems like he could use a friend or two. “How ‘bout this – you give me your phone number, and one’a these days I can replace that coffee for ya. And then you’ll have _four_ adult friends.”

Davey bites his lower lip for a moment, apparently thinking. “Yeah, okay. Pass me your phone.”

Jack does, and Davey makes quick work of adding himself as a contact. He doesn’t even walk into anything, although at one point Jack has to grab his sleeve and tug him out of the way of a fire hydrant. As he hands the phone back to Jack, Davey looks up, apparently startled to realize where they are.

Jack’s a little startled, too. They’ve reached the studio, and he kind of doesn’t want to say goodbye. The walk had flown by.

“This is me,” Davey says, gesturing to the door.

“You kiddin’ me, Jacobs?” says Jack.

“Uh, no?” says Davey, confused. “I was killing time at the coffee shop while my kid was in class, I have to pick her up.”

“This is where I’m going, too,” Jack says, shaking his head. “The mural is gonna be in the front hall.”

“You are _joking_.”

“I’m not, I swear.” Jack opens the door, holding it for Davey to enter first. “That wall, right there by the locker room.”

“How the hell have we never met?” Davey asks again. He laughs. “Next you’re gonna tell me that Tones is the brother-in-law who commissioned you.”

They’re walking up the stairs together, toward Race’s main studio space, when Davey says that and Jack stops dead. “Tony Higgins? Yeah.”

“You’re fucking with me,” says Davey. “You’ve got to be.”

“No way, man.” Jack holds his hands up, open. “I’ve known him since we was kids.”

“No offense, but you don’t look anything like Sean,” Davey replies.

“We’re adopted,” Jack says simply. “We’ve got a little sister, too.”

Davey shakes his head, laughing. “Jack, _Jack._ I said I have three adult friends including Katie Plumber, right? Sean and Tony are the other two.”

Somewhere in this conversation they started walking again, so that now they’re standing outside of the studio room just in time for Race’s class to let out. They’re both laughing, holding onto each other to stay upright. Race comes out of the room ahead of his students, and he frowns, surprised, when he sees the two of them.

“Hey, guys,” he says.

Davey catches his breath first. “Hiya, Tones.”

“What’s up with you two?” Race asks.

“We just –“ Jack says, still gasping for breath a little, “we just met, Racer. Davey and I have, what, five people in common?”

“At least.”

“And we just met.”

Race looks from one to the other of them, a funny half-smile on his face. “Yeah, okay. Weird.”

Before any of them can say anything else, a little girl with brown hair just like Davey’s runs past Race and throws her arms around Davey’s waist. Frankie’s hot on her heels, but he stalls, looking up at Jack with his head cocked to one side.

“Heya, Frankie,” Jack says, ruffling his nephew’s hair.

“I didn’t know you were gonna come here today, Uncle Jack,” says Frankie.

“Got a meetin’ with your daddy,” says Jack.

Next to him, Davey has knelt down to look his daughter – because this has to be his daughter – in the eye. He’s speaking in a low voice to her, which Jack can only hear some of. “– yeah, Lee-bee, we can have shape mac-and-cheese for dinner. You think Uncle Les will want some, too?”

Jack smiles at that.

Davey straightens back up, scooping his daughter up and perching her on his hip. “Jack, it was nice to meet you. I’m counting on that coffee.” He winks. “Leah, say bye-bye to Frankie and Tony?”

His daughter, Leah, waves at the Higgins boys. “Bye!”

Jack watches the Jacobses leave. When he turns back towards Race and Frankie, Race has picked his son up and is watching Jack intently. “You two really never met before today?”

“Really,” says Jack.

“Huh.” Race bounces Frankie on his hip. “Alright, boys, let’s go talk art.”

Jack follows Race down to the office, but not before digging his phone out and sending a text.

_To: Sarah’s Brother (David)_

_Hey Davey, it’s Jack. How’s next week for coffee?_


	4. At Least It Used to Be

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This overlaps chapter 3 by one scene, then pushes forward into uncharted territory! Woo!  
> I'm honestly dying to get 5 up, because I have art for it, but I will _probably_ have enough self-control to save it for tomorrow.  
> Probably.

Tony comes out of the room before his students, looking back and forth between David and Jack, who are both laughing so hard they can’t breathe. He frowns, looking a little confused. “Hey, guys.”

“Hiya, Tones,” David says, catching his breath.

“What’s up with you two?” asks Tony as students start flooding out past him.

“We just –“ Jack says, still gasping for breath a little, “we just met, Racer. Davey and I have, what, five people in common?”

“At least,” David agrees, nodding.

“And we just met.”

Tony keeps looking back and forth between them, a funny smile on his face. “Yeah, okay. Weird.”

Before any of them can say anything else, Leah and Frankie come running past Tony. Frankie comes to a halt a few steps back, his head cocked to one side as he looks at Jack, but Leah throws her arms around David’s waist. She takes a half step back, tugging on the hem of his shirt, so David crouches down to look her in the eye.

“What’s up?”

“Dad. I just remembered that we have Frozen macaroni. Can we have Frozen macaroni?” Leah says seriously.

David grins. “Yeah, Lee-bee, we can have shape mac-and-cheese for dinner. You think Uncle Les will want some, too?”

“I think he will,” Leah replies, nodding. “He likes Olaf.”

David nods, and he scoops her up. When he’s got her settled on his hip, he looks back at Jack, who’s watching him with a soft little smile on his face. “Jack, it was nice to meet you. I’m counting on that coffee.” He winks. He’s pretty sure Jack didn’t mean for coffee to be a date, but Jack is _cute_ , and David hasn’t laughed like this with someone in ages. Trying to ignore the faint blush he feels creeping over his cheeks, David says, “Leah, say bye-bye to Frankie and Tony?”

Leah waves. “Bye!”

They leave, and David can feel Jack and Tony’s eyes on them as they go.

“Who were you talkin’ to, Daddy?” Leah asks as they walk to the car.

“That was Frankie’s Uncle Jack,” David answers distractedly.

“Oh, right, I should’a known.”

David pauses, looking at Leah. “How would you have known that?”

“They got pictures of him in their house,” Leah says, shrugging. “An’ he was on Frankie’s family drawin’ at school the other day.”

“Oh, of course,” says David, shaking his head. “Frankie’s drawing.”

\--

David stares at his phone, trying to decide what the best, most casual response to the text that came in while he was driving would be.

_From: Jack_

_Hey Davey, it’s Jack. How’s next week for coffee?_

Super casual, super normal. No suggestion it’s a date or anything – when Jack suggested it, he’d actually specifically offered friendship. Nothing more.

Why is David agonizing over this?

“You okay over there, Dave?” Les asks, looking up from his textbook. “You’ve been staring blankly at your phone for, like, five minutes.”

“Hmm?” David sets his phone in his lap, blinking at his brother. “I’m fine.”

“Bullshit.”

“Les,” David says in a scolding tone, glancing back toward Leah’s room.

“Her door’s closed, she can’t hear me,” Les says dismissively. He lunges forward and snags David’s phone off of his legs. “Ooh, who’s Jack? Shit, David, do you have a _date_?”

“No,” says David, snatching his phone back.

“Come on, Dave,” says Les. “You don’t have to lie to me. I won’t tell Sarah, if that’s what you’re worried about. Who is this guy?”

“Sean’s brother, apparently,” David replies. “But I – we – he ran into me, outside the coffee shop I go to during Lee’s class on Saturdays. Like, physically ran into me, knocked me to the ground, and spilled my coffee. So he promised me a new one, is all.”

“He asked you out. _After_ you showed off that you have all the grace of a newborn giraffe,” Les says, raising an eyebrow.

“He didn’t _ask me out_. It’s – we’re friends, I think,” says David. “He suggested it after I told him I have fewer adult friends than I could count on one hand.”

“Yeah, I know, you’re pathetic,” says Les. He rolls his eyes. “And apparently you’re just out spewing that information to guys on the street. And he _still_ asked you out.”

“It’s not like that.”

“You do not seem sure, Dave.” Les sets his book aside and moves to the couch with David. “Maybe you’re right, maybe it’s not and this dude just wants to be a pity-friend. ‘Specially if you’ve got people in common, maybe that’s better. But I ain’t seen you this hung up on a stupid text in literal years. So I think _you_ want it to be like that.”

“Ain’t isn’t a word.”

“You’re deflecting, David.”

“Fuck. Okay, yeah, fine,” says David, sweeping his hands through his hair and glancing belatedly toward his daughter’s room to make sure the door is still closed. “Yeah. He’s hot, okay? And I think he, uh, might’ve been interested? But he also seemed kinda disappointed when I mentioned Leah –“

“Because he thinks you’re taken, or because dating a guy with a kid ain’t his thing?” Les asks. He waves David off before he can protest that he doesn’t _know_. “It was rhetorical, Dave, keep up.” He lets out a slightly exasperated sigh. “Look, you haven’t dated since – well, since Leah. F’you’re into this guy, I want it to work out.”

“Into him seems a little dramatic,” David says. “We talked for all of twenty minutes. But I’m intrigued.”

“Intrigued is more interest than you’ve shown in anybody in almost six years, dude,” says Les.

“I hate that you’re so invested in my love life.”

“Have a less pathetic life and I might care less about you getting a date.”

David bites his lip, looking toward Leah’s room. “My life isn’t pathetic.”

Les touches his knee. “That’s not what I meant, Dave. You know I love Leah, and you are _amazing_ with her. But I worry sometimes that all you do is look after her. And me, I guess. You deserve to have friends and – and romance or whatever. I just want you to be happy.” He pats his brother’s knee a few times before leaning back. “That’s all I meant.”

“I know,” says David.

“How ‘bout this,” says Les. “Treat this thing like just friends hanging out, maybe _casually_ mention that Lee-bee’s mom ain’t in the picture, and worst case scenario, you get your first friend in years. Best case scenario, you get laid.”

“Les!”

“I’m tellin’ it like it is, bro.”

“God, I hate you,” says David, shaking his head. “I hate you so much.” He takes a deep breath, looking back at his phone.

_To: Jack_

_Tuesday afternoon work for you?_

_\--_

David lets himself into the Higgins-Conlon apartment. “You guys have a dinner plan?”

“Nah,” Sean says from the couch. “Do you?”

David flops onto the couch next to him. “I really hoped you did, and Tones was gonna make way too much food like he always does.”

“I have a _firm_ policy on always having leftovers!” Tony calls from the other room, laughing. There’s a splash and the sound of more laughter, a mix of Tony’s and Frankie’s.

“Did I sound like I was complaining?” David replies. “Hey, when bathtime’s done, Frankie can head over to mine if you want. Les has eyes on Lee.”

Frankie cheers.

“I think we’ll be taking you up on that,” says Sean.

“Thank god,” says David, smiling at his friend. “I need, like, ten minutes of child-free time. And I’m including Les in that.”

Sean snorts. “Hey, I hear you met the king dumbass today.”

“Hmm?”

“Tones said you met my brother at the studio.”

“Oh, right,” says David. “Not really at the studio, I guess. He knocked me on my ass outside the coffee shop a couple blocks over.”

“He didn’t.”

“Texting while walking.”

“I swear, he’s got a brain in there somewhere,” Sean says, shaking his head. “I guess I should be grateful he walked into you and not into traffic.”

David laughs. “No kidding. He probably would have, we were at the corner.”

“But you two hit it off anyway?” Sean asks, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. “I’m not gonna lie, Daves, Jack ain’t the kinda guy I’d expect you to be into.”

“Hey, nobody said anything about being into him,” David says, feeling his face heat up. “We got along though, I guess.”

“A little birdie – well, a lanky, blond birdie who happens to be the father of my child – told me that Jack was real curious about you, after you left,” Sean says, a knowing tilt to his voice.

Before David can respond, Frankie thunders down the hall and into the living room, in his pajamas with his towel (the one with a hood decorated to look like a bunny’s face) still hanging from his head. Tony’s chasing him, splattered with water. “Francesco Nolan Higgins-Conlon, _stop_! You’re gonna slip and –“

Wet feet and hardwood floors finish Tony’s sentence for him. Frankie’s sprawled on the ground, tears welling up in his eyes. Sean’s off the couch right away, although he just stands over his son for a moment before speaking. “You good, Cesco?”

Frankie sits up, wiping his eyes. “Uh-huh.”

“That was kinda dumb, wasn’t it?” Sean says. “Daddy was warning you and everything.”

“Uh huh.”

“We gonna run right outta the bath again?”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Didn’t think so,” says Sean. He kneels down and opens his arms for Frankie to crawl into a hug. “How about you let Daddy finish helping you dry off and then you can go play with Lee and Uncle Les?”

“Okay, Poppa,” says Frankie. He squeezes Sean one more time before pulling away toward Tony.

Sean comes back to the couch. “I’m wet now.”

“That happens when you hug a dripping wet child, yeah,” David replies, laughing.

“I’ll walk him over,” Tony says once he’s got Frankie dry and his towel in the laundry basket. Sean nods.

There’s a brief moment of beautiful, glorious childless silence in the apartment after Tony leaves with Frankie.

“Dinner,” David says eventually. “You guys wanna do something together?”

“Sure,” says Sean. “What’cha got?”

“A strong urge to order in,” replies David.

Sean laughs. “Yeah, okay. I think we’re due for that, too.”

“Spectacular.”

Tony returns to the two of them flipping through a stack of delivery menus. “Oh, you two are my heroes.” He flops onto the couch between them, leaning over to give his husband a kiss before starting to look at menus as well.

They eventually settle on the Mexican place around the corner, mostly because it’s the kids’ favorite, and Sean steps away to place the order.

“How in the hell have you and Jack Kelly managed to have never met before today?” Tony asks, pulling one of his knees to his chest.

David shrugs. “I have a feeling it has to do with the fact that I never go anywhere or do anything with anyone. The only reason I manage to hang out with _you_ is that you live ten feet away from me and have a child my daughter’s age.”

“Okay, fair,” says Tony. “He asked me about you after you left, you know.”

“Yeah, Sean mentioned.”

“Oh, we talkin’ about Jack again?” Sean says, rejoining them on the couch.

“Apparently,” says David. As if on cue, his phone buzzes.

_Jack: Tuesday’s good. Kiddo in class at the studio? We can go to Caffeine Diem?_

_Me: You really want to return to the scene of the crime?_

_Me: Kidding. Yeah, Caffeine Diem works – 4:30 okay?_

“Is that him?” Tony asks.

“What?”

“Texting you, is that him?”

“Uh, yeah.”

Sean and Tony look at each other for a moment, having what appears to be a very complex eyebrow conversation. Finally, Sean looks back toward David, after a nod from his husband. “My brother is – he’s got a reputation, and he’s earned it. Just be careful, okay?”

“When am I anything else?”


	5. And the World Will Know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a vote for a two chapter day, so here we are!!  
> I'm a chapter ahead for once, so I'm actually working on 7 right now and _guys_ I am excited okay. PUMPED.

Jack can’t concentrate. He’s checked the time approximately six hundred times in the last hour, and it doesn’t feel like it’s getting any closer to four. He’s fully aware of how ridiculous he’s being, too; he’s never been this excited about a coffee date. Let alone a coffee date that’s not really a date at all, because Davey has a kid and probably a spouse and Jack is just dying to give this man another friend. That’s all this is.

His phone buzzes. Jack has it in his hand in an instant, irrationally afraid that it’s going to be a text from Davey, cancelling.

_From: Crutchie <3_

_I love my teammate, I do, but he’s driving me nuts_

_I think he’s pacing in his cubicle Jack_

_he’s so restless it’s making ME antsy_

Jack chuckles, shaking his head. He resists the urge to ask if Crutchie’s talking about Davey, because for some reason he didn’t _tell_ Crutchie about this whole thing. It’s dumb, there’s no real reason not to bring it up, but somehow despite how hilarious a situation it is – honestly, the number of people they have in common is well out of the realm of coincidence and into fate pushing them together territory – Jack never mentioned it between Saturday afternoon and now. Davey’s probably said something to Crutchie about it, right? Except that if he had, Crutchie would’ve said something about it to Jack.

_Crutchie <3: Save me_

_Me: Just ask him to sit down, dude._

_Crutchie <3: Not gonna do that, I don’t wanna interrupt his crisis._

_Me: Then suffer. What’s he worked up about?_

This is the closest Jack will let himself get to asking if this is about Davey.

_Crutchie <3: Def not the project he says he’s working on. Drainage isn’t that exciting, even for Dave._

_Crutchie <3: I think he’s got a date tonight._

Dave.

Davey said he shared a wall with Crutchie, right? And what are the odds that more than one Dave would be close enough for Crutchie to complain about without actually seeing each other?

Which means that Davey is just as excited/anxious about this thing as Jack is, whether that’s because he’s _into_ Jack or trying to find a way to let him down easy remains to be seen.

_Crutchie <3: Funny thing, though. Finch is texting me with the same kind of complaints about you. _

_Crutchie <3: You didn’t tell me you had a date today._

_Me: I don’t._

_Crutchie <3: You’re a dirty liar, Cowboy. _

_Me: It’s just a thing with a friend. Nothing special._

_Crutchie <3: Yeah, sure._

Jack doesn’t respond to that, and Crutchie doesn’t text him again. Jack settles back into staring at the same photo he’s been fiddling with for over an hour now, and he can’t remember what he wanted to do with it anymore. He leans back in his chair, tossing a crumpled receipt at Finch.

“You been whinin’ about me to Crutchie?”

“Yeah, the pen tappin’s drivin’ me _nuts_ ,” Finch replies.

Jack’s left hand – which has been semiconsciously flicking a pen against his desk for god knows how long – falls still. “Sorry.”

“I ain’t seen you this tense in ages,” says Finch. He throws the receipt back at Jack and it hits him square in the eye. “Hot date tonight?”

“ _No_ ,” Jack says quickly, swallowing back the nerves that have been plaguing him all afternoon. “Not that that stopped you from gossipin’ with my roommate. Now I gotta live with that all night.”

“Well you sure as hell have something goin’ on tonight,” Finch replies, rolling his eyes. “How ‘bout we make a deal: I’ll stop tellin’ Crutch that you’re climbin’ the walls if you stop makin’ so much noise.”

Jack sets his pen down very intentionally. “Yeah, okay.”

After a moment and before he can stop himself, he sends one last text before shoving his phone into his bag.

_To: Davey_

_Still on for coffee today, right? I’m looking forward to it._

\--

Caffeine Diem is not the dumbest forced coffee pun name for a coffee shop Jack’s ever heard, but it is damn near to it. That does not stop him from being there early, standing outside with his hands in his pockets trying not to look too nervous.

Almost exactly at four thirty, Davey calls to him. “Hey, Jack!”

He’s approaching on foot from the south – makes sense, since they were meeting during his daughter’s dance class. He probably walked from the studio.

“Davey!” Jack replies, grinning. Davey lights up at Jack’s greeting.

They order their coffee – Jack insists on paying, since the whole excuse for being here is replacing the one that Jack spilled on Saturday – and find a small table with comfortable chairs to chat.

“So how do you know Race and Spot?” Jack asks. Davey’s eyebrows push together in confusion, and he corrects himself. “Sorry. Tony and Sean. Old nicknames die hard, it’s weird to think of them as adults who use their given names with anybody.”

Davey smiles, bright and open. It makes Jack’s heart stutter a little. “We’re neighbors. Frankie and Leah – my daughter – are in the same class at school, but we moved in when the kids were babies.” He laughs. “They already lived there, and they’d seen me moving in. Brought a plate of cookies as a housewarming thing and the kids hit it off, we’ve been friends ever since.”

“I think they’ve mentioned you once or twice,” says Jack, leaning back in his chair a little. “And Frankie’s definitely mentioned Leah.”

“No big surprise there, they’re best friends,” says Davey. He looks down at his cup, picking at the cardboard sleeve. “I don’t know what I’d have done the last few years without Sean and Tony, honestly. Raising a kid alone is complicated, and they’ve always just kind of quietly been there for me. Taking Lee for an afternoon here and there so I can get things done, putting me in touch with their sitters. Hell, just being adults who get what’s going on in my life. It’s been a godsend.” He glances up at Jack, who’s staring at him maybe a little too intensely, and he lets out a breathy chuckle. “I’m sorry, that was a lot, wasn’t it? You barely know me and here I am –“

“It’s fine,” Jack says quickly. One thing caught his ear, though. “You’re – you’re raising Leah by yourself?”

Davey nods. “Yeah.”

“That’s amazing,” says Jack, firmly pushing down voice in his head saying _he’s single_ over and over. “For real.”

“It really isn’t,” says Davey.

“It ain’t an easy thing to do, raisin’ a kid,” Jack says. As if Davey needs to be told _that_. “And to do it alone – yeah, Dave. That’s pretty amazing. I’m glad Spot and Racer’ve been good friends to ya.”

“Thanks, Jack,” Davey says. He’s blushing, embarrassed. “Sorry, I totally just , like, bared my soul a little there. Did _not_ mean to do that.” He rubs the back of his neck, looking up at Jack again. “Sometimes I get going and my mouth gets ahead of my brain a little. Sean calls me a ‘walking mouth,’ ‘cause I can’t ever seem to shut up.”

Jack laughs. “Careful, if he calls you that in front’a the others it’ll stick. Spot’s king’a nicknames.”

“The others?” Davey repeats.

“Our friends.” Jack kicks Davey gently under the table. “I think they’d like you. You should come out sometime.”

“I have a five-year-old,” Davey points out.

“So do Spot and Race!” says Jack. “C’mon, it’d be fun. F’nothin’ else, we’re all going to Kath’s wedding, and you should meet the crew before then.”

“Maybe,” says Davey. He takes a slow sip of his coffee, then sets his cup back down abruptly, looking at Jack with wide eyes. “Oh my god, Spot and Race are Sean and Tony.”

“Uh, yeah?”

“Charlie mentioned them last week, when he was talking about your friends going to the wedding. He said Spot and Race have a kid Leah’s age.” Davey laughs. “He was talking about Frankie. Leah’s _best friend_.”

Jack laughs at that, too. “You tell him you met me?”

“Uh, no, actually,” says Davey, going a little pink again. “I don’t know why, it just didn’t come up, I guess. I was a little surprised _you_ didn’t.”

“Same thing, I guess,” Jack says. “I dunno, I guess I wanted a chance to get to know you a little without him fussin’.”

Davey smiles but he looks a little nervous, biting his lower lip a little. “Tones said you asked about me.”

_Single and interested,_ says that dumb voice in Jack’s head, getting louder again.

“I was curious,” Jack admits. “I still am. You’re an interesting man, Davey Jacobs.” He shrugs. “But I realized I’d rather learn about’cha from _you_ , not from Race or Crutchie – Charlie, that is.”

“Oh,” says Davey. He meets Jack’s eye, his smile softening a little.

“Yeah,” says Jack, and there’s this warm feeling in his chest and he’s already _stupidly_ gone on this guy, isn’t he? Abruptly, he remembers a thought he’d had earlier, and breaks eye contact with Davey to dig in his bag. When he resurfaces, he says, “Hey, so this might be kinda weird, but I like havin’ all my friends’ contact photos be my own art – can I draw you? Just a little sketch, nothin’ fancy.”

“I – uh, yeah,” Davey replies, startled. “Go wild.”

“Is this too weird?” Jack asks, even as he’s starting.

“No, it’s fine,” says Davey. “It’s sweet that you do that, makes it a little more personal than just snapping a photo. That’s what I do, you know – I try to ambush people and get as dorky a photo as possible, but it’s still just a photo.”

Jack shrugs. “I figure, I like drawin’ my friends anyway. Why not?”

“Am I your friend now, then?” Davey asks, his tone teasing. “Not just the victim of your vendetta against fathers not being late to pick up their daughters?”

Jack laughs. “Yeah, Davey. You are. If you wanna be, that is. I dunno, maybe you never wanna see my face again –“

“I do,” Davey cuts in quickly. He winces, maybe regretting _how_ quickly he interrupts. Jack caught it, though, and he can’t resist smiling.

“Then yes, we’re friends.”

Jack pulls his phone out to take a picture of the sketch, and as he’s doing so a text comes in in the group chat. A photo.

He opens it, curious, and realizes it’s a picture of him and Davey right now or a few moments ago – leaning close to each other and talking, Davey’s cheeks pink and Jack’s expression almost painfully soft.

_JACK’S EXES CLUB_

_Specs: Look what I just saw at Caffeine Diem!_

_Specs: [PHOTO]_

_Specs: Future new recruit to the exes club anybody?_

For the love of god, can’t Jack just have _one thing_ without his friends finding out immediately and making it weird?

“Is something wrong?” says Davey, looking concerned. “You’re frowning.”

Jack looks back at Davey, forcing a deep breath. “No, I’m fine. It’s nothing, just – one of my dumbass friends is here and sent a picture of us to the group chat. They’re all gonna be insufferable, he thinks we’re on a date.” Jack glances around, trying to find Specs in the crowd.

“Are we?” Davey asks, sounding a little shaky.

Jack’s gaze snaps back to him. “We – we could be. Do you want to be?”

“I have a kid,” Davey reminds him.

“I know.”

Very tentatively, Davey threads their fingers together on the table. “This okay?”

“Yeah. That’s okay.” Jack’s face is warm, he’s sure he’s blushing bright red like a goddamn schoolgirl. He is Jack _fucking_ Kelly, and he should not get worked up over this little bit of skin-to-skin contact, and yet here he is.

He can feel his phone blowing up in his pocket, but he doesn’t check it again.

“This was nice,” says Davey. The afternoon’s flown by, and they’re standing outside the coffee shop’s door. He has to go back to the studio for Leah, Jack is heading for home to get some painting done.

“It really was,” Jack replies. They’re lingering, both a little reluctant to say goodbye.

Davey checks his watch. “Shit, okay, I have to actually leave. We should get together again soon.”

“Friday?” Jack suggests, hoping he doesn’t sound too eager.

“Friday’s movie night at home,” says Davey. He hesitates for a moment before adding, “You could come over, though? If you want? You could meet Leah.”

“That would be – I’d love that,” says Jack. _You could meet Leah._ That feels like a big deal, but Davey says it so casually that Jack’s mind barely lingers on it.

Davey bites his lip again for a moment, before apparently making a snap decision and brushing a quick kiss across Jack’s cheek. “Bye, Jack.”

“Bye, Davey.”

Jack refuses to look at the group chat until he’s home and sitting in his bedroom-slash-art studio, feeling deeply grateful that Crutchie isn’t home.

_JACK’S EXES CLUB_

_Crutchie <3: You’re a lying liar who lies, Jack_

_Romeo: get it, Jacky!_

_Finch: no wonder you were so nervous, he’s hot_

_Elmer: where’d you find this poor soul_

_Crutchie <3: wait fuck I know him_

_Racetrack: wait crutch how do YOU know him_

_Crutchie <3: he’s my teammate?? At work??_

_Spotty boy: you for real crutch? He’s our neighbor_

_Spotty boy: his kid’s friends with our kid_

_Elmer: wait that’s cute!_

_Katydid: Jack tell me that’s not who I think it is_

_Specs: he fucking KISSED HIM GOODBYE_

_Albert: can we backtrack to the part where Jack’s date has a kid?_

_Katydid: Jack Kelly PLEASE tell me that is not who I think it is_

_Crutchie <3: oh kath it totally is_

_Sarah J: JACK KELLY IS THAT MY FUCKING BROTHER_

Jack takes a deep, steadying breath before replying.

_To: JACK’S EXES CLUB_

_Uh. Yeah._


	6. This Ain't No Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is all about the Jacobs sibs, so have fun. This is where we start ramping into Jack and Davey having an actual relationship, among other things. I am excited about this chapter, guys, you've got to tell me what you think.  
> Also, if anybody missed my update last night - I've officially planned through the end of this work and it's gonna be l o n g. Chapter count has been updated to reflect my outline :)

_From: Ra_

_David Ezra Jacobs I am coming to your house TONIGHT_

_Race said they could take Leah_

_You and I need to have words_

David looks at the texts from his sister for the fourth or fifth time, sighing deeply. She’s clearly worked up about something, and David has a sneaking suspicion he knows what. Katherine had texted a few minutes after her fiancée, informing David that they’d be arriving at seven thirty.

“Hey Dave?” Les asks, looking at his own phone.

“What’s up, bud?”

“Do you know why Sarah’s telling me to ‘clear the hell out of the apartment’ by seven?”

David groans. “She’s coming to yell at me, I think.”

“What’d you _do_?” Les asks.

“I had a date,” says David, shaking his head.

Les grins. “So it _was_ a date?”

“Decided after the fact,” David replies. “He’s coming to movie night on Friday, so you better be on your best behavior.”

“I always am, Dave,” says Les. “Are you sure, though? That’s pretty, uh, fast.”

David shrugs. “Leah is part of my life. Leah _is_ my life. If Jack can’t handle that, then we’re not going to date. Saves us all some heartbreak if that happens now instead of later.”

“Good, then.” Les pats David’s shoulder, standing up. “I wasn’t kidding, before. I really hope this works out for you.”

“Thanks, Les.”

“I’m gonna hang with Boots tonight, if ya need me,” Les says. Of all of Les’s school friends, Boots lives the closest. Less than twenty minutes away if the trains are cooperative. It’s Les’s quiet way of saying _I’ll come back if you want me to._

David appreciates it.

He watches his brother leave. He putters around the apartment for a while, cleaning the kitchen and picking up toys from the living room, and occasionally stopping to look over Leah’s shoulder at the drawing she’s working on. At six forty-five, he kisses the top of Leah’s head. “Bean, why don’t you go get your jammas on?”

Leah getting changed into her pajamas is a process that takes a _while_ because –

“I want to wear my Tangled jammas, Daddy.”

But –

“Sweetheart, your Tangled jammas are dirty. Can we wear the Minnie jammas instead?”

Only –

“I don’t even _like_ Minnie anymore.”

So –

“What about the Hei Hei jammas, Lee-bee?”

“Oh, okay,” Leah says, taking them from David and skipping away to change.

David laughs, shaking his head.

The door opens. It’s Tony, with Frankie on his hip. “Who’s ready for a school night sleepover?”

Leah squeals in excitement. “Really, Dad?”

“Really,” says David, laughing. He crouches in front of her. “Okay, you be good for Tony and Sean, okay? Follow the bedtime rules and don’t keep Cesco up, okay?”

“I’ll be good, Daddy,” Leah says solemnly, crossing her heart with her finger.

“Kiss goodnight, Bean?”

Leah kisses him goodnight, throws her arms around his neck in a quick hug, then scurries off toward Tony and Frankie. “Night-night!”

David straightens up and makes eye contact with Tony. “Thanks, Tony. Sorry about my sister.”

“No worries, Daves,” Tony says, smiling sympathetically. “Sarah’s a pistol.”

“You’re my hero,” says David. “Don’t hesitate to come over if she gives you any trouble.”

“We never do,” says Tony, nodding. “Night Daves.”

“Night, Tony.”

And then Tony and the kids are gone and Les left over an hour ago and David is left alone with his thoughts.

This must be about Jack, right? Nothing out of the ordinary has happened recently.

He knows Sarah knows Jack, because that was the start of this whole thing – Jack knows Sarah and he knows Katherine and he knows Charlie and Sean and Tony and god knows how many other people in David’s life without ever having met _him_ before. He knows Jack has a mixed-to-terrible relationship with relationships, because Sean and Tony warned him to be careful. He knows Sarah is protective of him and of Leah, and he knows she won’t want him to get hurt.

(Again.)

David pinches the bridge of his nose, sitting down on his couch. Sarah wasn’t around when things went south with Leah’s mom, but she’d helped him pick up the pieces in the aftermath. He _knows_ she’s got his best interests at heart, and yet –

Well, David is an adult who can make his own choices.

The doorbell rings and he lets the girls in, before flopping heavily back onto the couch.

“David,” Sarah says before the two of them are even fully in the apartment, “is it true you went on a date today with one Jack Francis Kelly?”

“Well, I don’t know his middle name,” David says lazily, not looking up at his sister. “But yes, I suppose so.”

“What were you _thinking_?”

“Quite honestly?” asks David, sitting up fully and turning to meet Sarah’s eye. “That he’s cute, and I have no fucking friends.”

“But he’s – he’s _Jack_ ,” Sarah says. She shakes her head and sits down next to him. Katherine is hovering by the armchair, but she doesn’t sit. “You know we know him, right?”

“I do.”

“Why didn’t you ask us what he’s like or anything before you went on a _date with him_?” Sarah asks.

David holds up one finger. “Sean and Tony know him, too, I talked to them.” He holds up a second finger. “I don’t need your permission to see people.”

“Jack’s not –“ Sarah throws her arms into the air. “Kath, help me out here.”

Katherine bites her lip, unusually hesitant. “David, do you know how Sarah and I met?”

“A friend introduced you,” David replies, frowning. A not-David friend, after college. Leah had been a little shy of two, and Sarah burst into his apartment with her new girlfriend and knocked the air out of David’s chest.

“Jack Kelly introduced us,” says Katherine, finally sitting down.

“And?”

“We’d both dated him,” Sarah says. “I dated him in college, junior year, and he’d gone out with Kath for a little while after they started at the _World_.”

“That’s nice,” David replies. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because it’s also how Spot met Race,” says Sarah, leaning forward on her knees.

“Sean – Spot, whatever – is Jack’s brother,” David points out.

Sarah waves dismissively. “Yeah, but he met Race when Race and Jack were dating in high school. Jack and Race broke up and Spot and Race got together and the rest is history.”

“ _So?”_

“Almost everyone in our social group has dated Jack, David,” Katherine says. She’s picking at her fingernails, not looking at David. “It’s a running joke, the point of connection. Anybody who hasn’t dated Jack is either seeing someone who has or is his sibling. Or, in Spot’s case, both.”

“Our group chat is literally called ‘Jack’s exes club,’” Sarah adds.

“What we’re trying to say is that he’s not really known for commitment,” Katherine finishes.

“It sounds like he’s great at amicable breakups, though,” says David. He shrugs. “Great, we have that in common.”

“That’s rich,” says Sarah. “What ex do you have that you even still _talk_ to?”

“You’d be surprised,” David says, his tone flat. “Look, I – I admit that Sean and Tony didn’t tell me the full depth of his relationship reputation, but they did tell me he’s not great at making them stick.” He sighs, looking at his sister. “He seems like a good guy, and he must be if _you’re_ still friends with him. Maybe it doesn’t work out romantically, but I gain a friend out of it. Sounds like a win-win.”

“We just don’t want to see you get hurt,” Katherine says quietly.

David looks at her, gaze sharp and tone harsh. “What right do you have to decide what’s going to hurt me?”

“David –“ Katherine says.

“No, Kate.”

Sarah looks from her brother to her fiancée and back. “It’s not just you in the crossfire, here, Dave. You’ve got a kid, and if you get involved with Jack and it doesn’t work out – I don’t want to see Leah getting hurt either.”

“Don’t you think I’ve thought of that?” says David. He turns toward Sarah. “Do you really think that I wouldn’t have thought over every possible way that me dating might affect my daughter?”

“Of course you have,” says Sarah. She puts a hand over David’s where it’s gripping his knee, digging into the leg of his pants.

David jerks away from her. “Sarah, I understand that you think you’ve got my best interests in mind, but – but if this is a mistake it’s one I’m going to make on my own.”

“Okay,” says Sarah. She pulls back from David. “Okay, I hear you. We’ll go.”

She stands up and makes for the door, but Katherine doesn’t move.

“ _What_ , Kate?”

“Dave, I – I should’ve made her come alone. I’m sorry.”

David closes his eyes, taking a breath to steady himself. “It’s fine, Katherine.”

“Kathy?” Sarah says from the doorway.

Katherine stands up. “Sorry.”

“Please just go, Kate.”

Sarah and Katherine leave, and David stays frozen on the couch with his eyes closed tight until he hears their footsteps fade away on the stairs.

There’s a part of him that’s tempted to text Les, or to cross the hall and curl up in a ball at the end of Tony and Sean’s couch, but a much weightier part wants to be completely alone right now.

He goes into his room and changes silently into his pajamas, then lies down on the bed and stares at the ceiling.

He’s not afraid of Jack. They’ve only met twice, but David can already feel the buzzing certainty in his chest that this is someone he could be close to, that this is someone he can’t let go of. He can’t remember the last time he connected with someone this fast.

_Well_ , he thinks, rolling onto his side and feeling slightly sick to his stomach, _that’s not quite true, is it?_

His eyes fall on the framed photo on his bedside table. It’s the first photo he has of himself with Leah – she’s small and fragile and red and he’s looking at her like she hung the stars.

Her mother took it.

David lets himself breathe in the fact that for once his apartment is empty except for himself, with no chance of Les coming home or Leah bursting in, and he cries.

He has an instinctive feeling that Jack won’t fall through the way that –

Still, it’s hard not to be a little bit afraid.


	7. Now Is the Time to Seize the Day

“If you hurt David Jacobs I will break your fucking shins,” Katherine says, casual as anything, over lunch.

Jack, who had up until now been eating his pizza contentedly as can be, chokes. “What makes you think I’m going to hurt Davey?”

“Because you are a serial dater and he hasn’t been out with anybody in the better part of six years,” Katherine replies. She pokes him with her fork. “You might be good at staying friends with your exes, but that doesn’t mean there’s not some pain first. And that man – fuck, Jack, he does not deserve any more pain in his life, okay?”

“Any more?” Jack repeats.

Katherine looks away quickly. “Leah didn’t come from nowhere, Jack.”

“Oh, right,” says Jack. “Well, I’m not planning to hurt him. There’s something different about this guy, Kath.”

“I’ve heard that from you before, Jack,” Katherine says.

“I’ve never hit off with somebody this fast,” says Jack. “I’m serious, not even you. And this was _after_ I walked into him, knocked him to the ground, and spilled his coffee.”

Katherine frowns. “Shit like this burns hot and fast for you, and I don’t want to have to pick up the charred remains of my fiancée’s brother at the end.”

“Did Sarah put you up to this?” Jack asks. He sets his food down, giving Katherine his full attention. “Because, like, I get it. I’m a risk, she’s protective. But I’m not in this to hurt him, okay? I don’t even know if this is gonna go beyond this Friday, romantically speaking. But I _like_ him, Kath, and I really want to have him in my life. So just – butt out, would you? Davey’s a big kid, he can take care of himself.”

“That’s what _he_ said.” Katherine taps her fingers against the table, nervous. “Sarah didn’t ask me to talk to you. I wanted to.”

“What, you and Davey close?”

“No,” says Katherine, and it’s this weird distant echo of her usual voice. “Not especially.”

“You’re being weird, Katherine,” Jack says. “You feelin’ okay?”

Katherine rolls her shoulders, seeming to almost physically shake off whatever had come over her. “Sorry, I’m fine. I just don’t want to see Dave getting hurt, okay? I love my niece, and if you break David’s heart, you’ll end up breaking Leah’s, too.”

“Katherine –“

“Just be careful, please,” says Katherine.

“I will.” Jack puts a hand on Katherine’s on the table. “I promise.”

\--

“Hey, Crutch?” Jack calls from his bedroom, where he’s standing half-dressed staring at his closet.

“What?”

“What do I wear for a super chill not really a date where I’m probably gonna be on the couch with him and his kid brother and his kid all night?”

Crutchie pokes his head into Jack’s room. “Sorry, _what?”_

“It’s movie night,” says Jack. “Family movie night. Which means it’s less of a date and more of a test, I think.”

“He invited you to meet Les and Leah?” asks Crutchie.

Jack frowns, holding up two shirts. “ _Yes_. Now can you please help me?”

“That seems like –“

“A lot, I know,” says Jack. “Like I said, I think this is more of a test than a date. So I need to make a good impression.”

“Wear the blue one,” Crutchie says. “It looks good on you and it’s got way less paint on it.” He comes into the room and sits heavily on Jack’s bed. “Jack are you – are you serious about seeing Dave?”

“Why do people keep asking me that?” Jack says. He pulls the shirt on, tossing the other one back on the shelf. “I don’t go into relationships _looking_ for a short lived disaster, you know.”

“Yeah, but you do have a bit of a reputation for them anyway,” says Crutchie. “You’re a good guy, Jack, and a good friend and I love you to bits, but you’re also kind of a dumbass.”

“You tell me that on the daily.”

“I know.” Crutchie jabs Jack’s leg with his crutch. “I’m not asking you to propose to him or anything, just go into this with a clear head. I’ve known Dave Jacobs for four years, and I have never known the man to date.”

“So Katherine said,” Jack says. “And Spot. And Race, separately.”

“Exactly,” says Crutchie, jabbing Jack again. “We’re trying to impress onto you that this is a big deal, please don’t fuck it up.”

“I am _not_ ,” says Jack, frowning deeply, “going to fuck it up.”

“Good,” Crutchie says. He grins. “So, you planning to find matching socks?”

\--

Jack ends up arriving early because of his nerves, and instead of texting Davey or buzzing his apartment, he buzzes Spot’s.

“Are you an axe murderer?” a scratchy voice – Race’s – asks through the small speaker.

“It’s Jack, Racer.”

“Aw, man. Okay,” Race’s voice says. There’s a buzzing sound and the lock releases, and Jack goes inside.

Race is waiting in the doorway when Jack gets upstairs. “You know, Daves lives in _that_ one.” He points to the door directly across from his.

“I’m early and I’m anxious, can I come in?” Jack says, trying to keep his voice relatively low so he won’t be heard in the Jacobs apartment.

“Sure,” says Race. He steps out of the way and lets Jack pass him.

“Where’s the little gremlin? He’s usually on me as soon as I come in the door,” says Jack, looking around.

“He’s at Dave’s place,” Race replies, shrugging. “Fifty-fifty he stays for the movie, fair warning.” He waves Jack over toward the living room furniture. “C’mon, siddown.”

“You gonna give me a lecture about breaking Davey’s heart, Race?” Jack asks. “’Cause I’ve had two in the last two days, not counting texts from you and Spot and Sarah.”

“Nah,” says Race. “At the end of the day, Dave’s a big kid and he can handle himself. He can handle _you_.”

“Thanks for the vote of support,” says Jack. He lets out a slow breath. “I’m not gonna lie, Race, I’m nervous as hell about tonight.”

“Les is chill, he’ll like you,” Race says immediately. He kicks his feet up onto the couch. “He likes being talked to like an adult, so as long as you don’t treat him like a kid he’ll be on your side. Leah is the opposite of chill, but you handle Frankie like a champ so I doubt you’ll have any issue there, either.”

“What if she hates me?”

“Again, I doubt she will.” Race kicks Jack, hard. “You’re good with kids, Cowboy. Don’t freak yourself out and you’ll be fine. And like I said, Frankie might stay, and if he does you won’t really even have to worry about Lee. They can keep each other distracted for hours.”

“Thanks, Race,” Jack says.

“Re _lax,_ would’ja?”

Jack tries, and fails, to still his rapidly bouncing knee. “It just feels like – like some kinda test, you know?”

“’Cause it is,” Race replies, shrugging. “Fuck, Jack, of course it’s a test. Daves doesn’t _date_. He doesn’t make new friends. He’s taking a risk, bringing you into his life, even though you’re functionally family.”

“Family?” Jack echoes, a little confused.

Race raises an eyebrow. “Well, yeah. He don’t know _you_ well, but you’re his sister’s ex, your best friend is _marrying_ his sister, and that’s not even mentioning me an’ Spot. Dunno how much he’s told you, but we’re one household in a lotta the ways that matter.” He kicks Jack again. “Family.”

“What happens if I fail the test, though, Racer?” Jack asks, his voice smaller than he intends. “I like him. I really like him. There’s something about him that just – it clicked.”

“Then you’re not gonna fail the test,” Race says simply.

“You think?”

Race shrugs, looking at Jack like he’s missed the most obvious thing in the world. “He’ll want to see that you’ll be good with Leah, which you will, and that Les will like you, which he will, and that _you’re_ in it for real. He’s had voices in his ear warning him off of you all week.”

“Your voice?”

“Nah. Sean’s, though.”

“Spot don’t think I’d be good for him?”

“Spot wants him making an informed decision. He knows how you are. But, and I say this as one of your fleet of exes, Daves could do a lot worse than you,” Race says.

“Very reassuring,” Jack replies, shaking his head. He checks the time. “Fuck, okay, I’m – would it be weird if I just went and knocked on his door? He’s probably expecting me to buzz.”

“Nah,” says Race. “Welcome to life in the Higgins-Conlon-Jacobs world, Jackie boy, we just wander back and forth whenever the mood strikes.”

“But I –“

“Family, remember?” Race cuts in. “C’mon, I’ll walk you over.”

He offers Jack a hand and pulls him to his feet. Jack wonders, idly, when Race of all people became such a steadying force in his life. Glancing back over his shoulder into the familiar apartment, Jack figures it’s probably around the same time Frankie was born. Spot and Race have always balanced each other – fitting together far, far better than Jack himself and Race – but parenting grounded both of them in a way Jack never would’ve expected, and that had in turn grounded all of their friends. Sure, Race in particular still has a chaotic streak a mile wide, but it’s tempered now by a confidence and steadiness that wasn’t there when they were kids.

Before he knows it, Jack’s standing in front of the door Race had pointed out as Davey’s.

“You gonna knock?” Race asks.

“I –“ Jack lifts his hand, then falters. “Race, what if Katherine and Sarah are right, and I’m gonna be bad for him?”

“They aren’t.” Race pushes past him, throwing the door open without knocking. “Daaaaaves! Look what I found on your doorstep!”

“Tones, I’m –“ Davey starts, coming to a halt where he’s standing when he realizes who’s with Race. He’s got a doll in one hand and a ball of what look like child’s clothing in the other. “Jack, you’re here!”

Jack gives an awkward little wave, very _very_ aware that his face is bright red. “Heya, Davey.”

“I’m sorry, did you buzz?” Davey says, walking closer to the door. “I didn’t hear – we’ve been trying to make the place presentable, but it’s a little hard with –“

“Don’t worry about it, Davey,” says Jack. “I was at Race and Spot’s, I didn’t buzz you.”

“Oh,” says Davey. “Oh, I – good, then.” He seems to realize that he’s still holding the doll and the clothes. “Let me just – _Leah! Les! Frankie!_ – I’m gonna put this down, real quick. Make yourself at home. Tony, you stayin’?”

He steps out of the room for a moment as he says it, returning a moment later empty handed.

“Nah, just dropping off the kiddo here,” Race says, clapping Jack on the shoulder. “You be good, eh, Jack? Call me and your Poppa if you need a pickup.”

“God, I hate you,” says Jack, his cheeks still burning. It’s almost worth the embarrassment for the small smile Race’s joke draws from Davey, though. “I hate you so much, Racer, get _out_.”

Race laughs. “Dave, if you want kiddos gone let me know.”

“Thank you, Tones,” Davey replies, still smiling. “Jack, like I said, make yourself at home. I’m gonna go hunt down the kids.” He turns on his heel and disappears down the hall.

Race pats Jack’s shoulder one more time before leaving. Jack looks around the apartment; it’s a mirror of Race and Spot’s, with a combined living room-kitchen, connected to a hall with a handful of doors. The nearest bedroom door is partially open, revealing a room that must be Davey’s – an adult sized bed, unmade, is partially visible though the door. Jack knows from experience of Race and Spot’s place that the door next to Davey’s is the bathroom, which means that Leah’s room is in the same spot as Frankie’s. There’s a large wicker basket next to the couch full of bed pillows and blankets, which must be Les’s. The living room is full of toys and text books and framed photos. It feels very real, very lived in. It suits Davey, Jack thinks.

Jack has just settled tentatively onto one of the armchairs in the living room space when Davey returns, trailed by two small children and a teenager.

Frankie launches himself at him as soon as he sees him. “Heya, squirt!”

“Uncle Jack! Hi! David says you’re here for movie night!” Frankie says.

“I sure am,” says Jack, ruffling Frankie’s blond curls. “Are you?”

“Only if Leah picks a good one,” Frankie replies, scrunching his nose up.

“Cesco, can I introduce Jack to Lee and Les?” Davey asks. He’s picked his daughter up, and she’s curled in tight toward him. There’s something warm in Jack’s chest at the sound of Davey using Frankie’s family nickname, too. “They haven’t actually met him yet.”

Frankie nods, crawling off of Jack’s lap and over toward the couch.

Davey bounces Leah on his hip. “Leah, Les, this is my friend Jack. He’s Frankie’s uncle. Lee, can you say hi to Jack?”

“Daddy, can I go down?” Leah asks. Davey nods, setting her back on her feet, and Leah scurries over to Jack. “Hello, Jack.”

“Hello, Leah,” says Jack. He’s glad he’s sitting, because it lets him look Leah in the eye without bending down. “It’s nice to meet you, I’ve heard a lot about you from your dad and Frankie’s dads.”

Leah crosses her arms. “Do you have a crush on my daddy, Jack? I heard Sean say so to Tony.”

Davey makes a choked sound behind her, and Les actually steps out of the room to laugh.

Jack just nods seriously, looking Leah straight in the eye. “Is it okay if I do?”

Leah looks at Frankie, and they seem to have a child version of the elaborate silent conversations that Frankie’s fathers are known for. Eventually, she turns back to Jack, her eyes narrowed. “Yes.”

“Okay,” says Jack, smiling. He makes eye contact with Davey over her shoulder. Davey’s smiling, too, looking slightly shocked and shaking his head.

_Sorry,_ he mouths to Jack.

_It’s fine_ , Jack replies.

Leah joins Frankie on the floor in front of the couch, apparently done with Jack.

Jack stands up and walks over to Davey and the now returned Les. He holds a hand out for Les to shake. “Les, hi. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, Jack,” Les replies, shaking Jack’s hand firmly. In a low voice, he adds, “I’ve talked to Sarah. You gonna be good to my brother?”

“I plan to be,” says Jack.

Les nods. “A’right.”

And with that, he walks away to join the kids.

“I am so sorry about them,” says Davey.

Jack waves him off. “Nah, s’more or less what I expected. I ain’t afraid of kids, and a’course Spot and Race’ve been talking. Better we’re up front about the whole thing, yeah?”

Davey’s got a funny, kind of distant look in his eye. “Yeah.”


	8. Stare Down the Odds and Seize the Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This picks up immediately after the last chapter left off! Davey finally gets to narrate a Davey/Jack interaction!

Jack sits back down, this time on the couch behind the kids. David joins him, leaving a few inches of space between them but not much.

“We let the kids pick the movie, so I hope you’re into Disney,” David says, trying to reign in the warm feeling building in his chest before it bursts out of him and he does something stupid. “We’ve been on a 90s kick.”

“Hey, I will _never_ complain about watching a 90s Disney movie,” replies Jack. “Or any Disney movie, really.”

David laughs. “Alright, good. ‘Cause if you’re gonna be around more, you’re gonna be seeing a lot of ‘em.” He shifts his attention to Leah and Frankie, who are deep in conversation on the floor in front of the couch. “Hey, kids, what are we watching?”

“Hercules!” Leah says immediately. “Hercu _leeeeeees.”_

“Hercules it is,” says David. “Frankie, you staying for Hercules?”

Frankie thinks on it for a moment. “Um. Yes.”

“Great,” David replies. “Les, you wanna get cocoa going? Kids, you getting the audience?”

“Audience?” Jack repeats, clearly befuddled. The kids don’t wait for David to explain, they just get up and thunder back toward Leah’s room.

David grins at him. “It’s the cutest thing, Jack, you’ll see.”

Leah and Frankie run back into the room, sliding on the hardwood in their socks, both with arms full of toys. David watches Jack watch the kids settle back in between the coffee table and the couch.

They line the toys up facing the TV on the coffee table. It’s an interesting mix, and varies week to week. This week’s audience includes four Barbie dolls, animators collection Cinderella, two trucks, and (the only toy who makes it every week) Franklin Bear.

“Bean, how about you introduce Jack to the audience?” David prompts. Leah actually holds a hand up to indicate for him to wait while she finishes lining up the Barbies. David rolls his eyes, exchanging slightly startled smiles with Jack. “The nerve of this girl, I tell you.”

“Okay, I’m ready,” Leah says eventually, hugging Franklin Bear close to her chest. To Jack, she says, “We like’ta have a big audience for movie night, but there’s only two’a us.”

“Excuse me!” Les says, mock hurt, from the kitchen.

“ _Three_ ’a us, I guess,” Leah amends. “While Uncle Les is in school an’ stuff. Anyway, we bring friends out!”

“What friends are joinin’ us tonight, then?” Jack asks, his tone fully genuine. David’s heart _melts_.

“That’s Barbie,” Leah says, pointing. She goes down the line –“That’s Martin the Truck, that’s Macy, that’s Cinderella, that’s _Henry_ the truck, that’s Lila, and that’s Mandy.” She points at Frankie, giggling. “And that’s Francesco.”

“Oh, hey, I know that one!” says Jack. He scoops a giggling Frankie into his arms. “Isn’t that right, Cesco?”

Frankie giggles and squirms. “Yea- _huh!_ ”

“What about Bear?” David asks, pulling Leah and Franklin Bear into his own lap. He tickles Leah’s sides. “Don’t you want to introduce Bear?”

“Am I not good enough to meet your bear, Leah?” asks Jack, playing at being offended and hugging Frankie close.

Leah lets Franklin Bear’s head poke out of her arms. “His name is Franklin Bear. He _always_ comes to movie night.”

“Franklin,” Jack repeats, nodding. “That’s a good name for a bear.”

“Daddy named him,” Leah says in a small voice. “I’ve had him forever.”

“Please, please tell me you named him after Franklin Roosevelt because Teddy Bears are named after his cousin,” Jack says.

David’s cheeks flush bright red. “Of course I did.”

Jack laughs, and it makes David’s brain go a little fuzzy. “You’re somethin’ else, Davey. That’s adorable.”

“Cocoa time!” Les announces. He’s back from the kitchen with a tray of mugs and a plate of the walnut chocolate chip cookies they’d made last night. “Kids on pillows, please!”

Frankie and Leah both slide off of their respective laps and back to their little pillow nest on the floor. The rule in David’s house is that nobody’s allowed to have liquids on the couch unless they can reach someplace to put it down, so since neither Leah nor Frankie can reach the coffee table comfortably from the couch they have to stay on the floor until cocoa is done. Les sets a mug of (fairly cool, milky) cocoa in front of each of them, along with one cookie each.

“Thank you, Uncle Les,” the kids chorus politely.

“You’re welcome,” Les replies, grinning. He hands Jack and his brother their own cocoa – fully hot, because they’re not five – and a small plate of cookies to share, before settling in on the armchair with his own.

Jack grabs a cookie first, taking a bite that’s easily more than half of it. “You guys make these?” he asks. “They’re great.”

“We did,” David replies. He ducks his head a little. “I actually burst into Sean’s halfway through making them last night; we always make them with walnuts and I panicked because I realized I hadn’t asked if you were allergic.” He rubs the back of his neck. “In retrospect, I realize that I could’ve texted you, but I don’t think I was really thinking straight.”

“Well I hope you weren’t thinking _straight_ ,” Jack says, wiggling his eyebrows at him. Les snorts.

“Oh my god,” says David, “oh my god, that was _terrible_.”

“You deserve to know that that’s what you’re signing up for, with me,” Jack replies. He’s got that easy, wide smile on again, and he’s got this hopeful look in his eye that’s really getting to David. “Assuming you’re planning on signing up for me.”

“It’s looking pretty promising,” David says in a low voice.

“Good,” says Jack.

David takes a moment to regain control of his breathing, because Jack has fully taken it away. “Movie. Let’s start the movie – kids, you ready?”

Leah and Frankie cheer as David gets Hercules started.

Jack leans close to David, speaking in a low voice, “This one’s my favorite.”

“Is it?” says David. “That’s lucky.”

“Oh, yeah,” Jack says. He scoots just a little closer, so he can keep talking to David without disrupting the kids too much. Their shoulders are touching. “The music, the character design, the backgrounds – they made some weird story choices but I can overlook it for the sake of how gorgeous it is.”

“I always liked it,” David replies. “But I admit, I’ve never given much thought to the actual, like, artistry of it.”

“Well,” Jack says, with a vague wave toward his chest, “artist. I can tell you about it, if you want?”

David turns his head a fraction to look at Jack. They’re very, very close. Jack’s eyes are hazel, fading green at the outer edge. “I’d like that a lot.”

Jack slides just a little bit closer still – they’re touching from shoulder to elbow, hip to knee, now – and starts a running commentary about character design and color choices. David is completely enamored; it’s fascinating, he loves learning new things, but the thing that’s getting him more is hearing Jack ramble about this facet of the movie David’s never even _thought_ about with so much passion and depth of knowledge. He’s excited and interested and completely unashamed at how much he knows – a balance David struggles with striking when he talks about his own interests – and at the same time is explaining everything he says fully without any condescension over David _not_ knowing about it.

David is pretty sure that this is what falling in love feels like.

Eventually, Leah and Frankie finish their cocoa, and they crawl up onto the couch again. Frankie curls up in a ball next to David, with his head pillowed on David’s leg. Leah, somehow, ends up fully in Jack’s lap, nodding off with her head on his shoulder.

David keeps looking straight forward toward the TV, avoiding the knowing looks he knows his brother is giving him.

The movie ends and, as always, the kids are fully asleep. David collects Frankie and carries him next door, passing him off into Sean’s waiting arms. When he returns home, he’s ready to lift Leah off of Jack, but he finds Jack’s already standing, carrying her. He’s even holding Franklin Bear by the foot with one hand.

“I can take her,” David says quietly, trying not to wake her.

“It’s alright,” Jack says, shifting her weight a little. He nods down the hall. “Her room’s this way?”

David nods. He trails them as Jack carries Leah to her room and lays her gently on her bed. Jack leaves the room as silently as it’s possible to pick through a bedroom with hardwood floors, shooting David a small smile as he passes. David stops to tuck Leah fully into bed, kissing her forehead.

“Goodnight, Leah-beah. I love you.”

Jack’s waiting in the kitchen when David returns.

“I’m sorry my daughter fell asleep on you,” David says, more out of reflex than because he thinks Jack actually minded.

Jack waves him off. “Don’t worry about it. Leah’s part of your life, I’m not going to ask you to apologize for her just being her.”

“Thank you,” David says. “Really, Jack, thank you. It means a lot.”

“It ain’t anything to get worked up over, Davey,” says Jack.

That warm, fluttery feeling is back. “I’d like to see you again, Jack.”

“That so?” says Jack, raising an eyebrow. David is about to take a step back, nerves threatening to choke him, when Jack speaks again. “Well that’s good, because I’d like to see you again, too.”

They stare at each other for a long moment. They’re close, and David is suddenly very aware that they’re just standing in the middle of his hot mess of a kitchen. There are dirty dishes in the sink and toys all over the floor and the pantry door is open and there’s Jack Kelly in the middle of it and he barely seems to notice.

They aren’t even touching, just hovering very tightly within each other’s personal space.

“I had a great time tonight, Davey.”

“I’m glad. I did, too.”

Jack’s hand finds David’s, and he’s opening his mouth to speak again -

Les clears his throat.

David jumps back, blushing violently red. “Les!”

“Yeah, hi, I live here,” says Les, his arms crossed. “Sorry to ruin your mushy moment, but I also don’t want to, like, watch it happen.” He tips his head to one side, his eyes narrowing. “Jack, you stayin’ here?”

“No, I – no,” says Jack, and it gives David some comfort to see that he is also very very red. “You know what, I’m actually gonna leave now. Davey, this was – I’ll see you soon?”

“Very,” David replies quickly. “I’ll text you.”

“Great, amazing,” Jack says. He sounds a little shaken. “Les, it was nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Les says, looking unfairly amused.

Jack and David walk to the door – still in full view of Les the entire time because such is life in a relatively open concept apartment. They stop for a moment in the doorway.

“Thank you for coming,” says David.

“Thanks for havin’ me,” Jack replies.

David is so annoyingly aware of his teenaged brother lurking a few feet away that he can’t get over himself and actually say or do anything substantial. But he doesn’t want this conversation to end and he doesn’t want this night to be over.

Jack glances over David’s shoulder, toward Les. “I’m not gonna lie, Davey, I really thought the kiddos would be the more intimidating chaperones.”

“He’s sneaky like that,” David says, chuckling.

“Think he’d mind if I kissed you goodnight?”

“He lives in my house, he’d better fuckin’ not,” David grumbles.

Jack laughs, eyes shining. “You’re really somethin’, Davey.”

“I don’t know how to take that.”

“It’s good,” says Jack. “I don’t quite know what to do with you, but in the best possible way.”

“That kiss seems like a good place to start,” David replies, surprising himself a little. Jack looks a little surprised, too.

“You know, you might be right about that,” Jack says. He leans in, pushing up onto his toes a little and steadying himself with a hand on David’s arms, and presses the smallest of kisses to David’s lips. “I’m lookin’ forward to seein’ you again, Davey.”

David nods. “Good night, Jack.”

“G’night, darlin’.”

Jack leaves, and it feels a little bit like he takes all the air in the room with him.

David takes a few shaky steps back into the living room proper, sitting down on the chair as soon as he’s close enough. Les sits on the couch, one leg pulled up to his chest.

“That was unbelievable,” Les says, shaking his head. “Dave, are you even breathing?”

“What? Yes?” says David. He takes a deep, steadying breath. He feels a little less like the room is spinning.

“Now, I admit that I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with a crush or anything,” says Les, “but you’ve got it _bad_ for Jack, don’cha?”

“I met him a week ago.”

“I was watching you guys, during the movie.” Les shakes his head again. “You know how Sean and Tony get sometimes when the kids are all over them? Like, sickly sweet and painfully domestic, even though it’s against Sean’s whole vibe?”

David nods. They like to deny it, but it’s actually really cute to see them in family mode like that.

“You two had that look.”

“Les –“

“I’m not messing with you, David, I swear. Especially after Lee and Franks came up to sit with you,” Les insists. “I’m not saying, like, marry him now or anything. But I like him for you.” He shrugs. “He fit, without really trying. You shouldn’t give up on that.”

“I wasn’t planning to,” David says. “Thank you, though.” He stands up, intending to go to his room and process this alone until he falls asleep, but another thought stops him. “Hey, Les?”

“Yeah?”

“I will match whatever Sarah bribed you with to report back to her about this if you don’t tell her anything.”

Les gives him a mock salute. “Got it, boss.”

\--

David wakes up late the next morning.

When he comes out of his bedroom, still in the old t-shirt and sweatpants he’d thrown on as pajamas last night, Les and Leah are sitting at the table with Sarah and Katherine, eating cinnamon rolls.

“Hey, sleepyhead!” Sarah greets. “Bean here was just telling us about movie night last night!”

“That so, Lee-bee?” David says, ruffling Leah’s hair. “Wha’cha telling them?”

Leah looks up at him, frosting smeared across her cheeks. “We watched Hercules and Frankie was over and Jack was over and we had cookies!”

Sarah gives David this self-satisfied look that says _I know you paid Les off not to tell me anything and I still won_.

“Did you like Jack, sweetheart?” asks David. He lifts Leah out of her seat and sits down in it himself with her on his lap.

Leah nods. She dives back into her cinnamon roll for a few bites before speaking again. “He was nice and he asked about my toys and he knew a lot about Hercules.”

“Good. What would you think if Jack were around more often?” David says.

“That’d be good,” Leah says. She twists around to look at her father. “He made you smile a lot, Daddy. That made me happy.”

David kisses the top of Leah’s head, closing his eyes tight. “Thanks, baby. He made _me_ really happy.”

Leah pats his hand with one of her small, sticky ones. “Then I like him lots.”

“That’s nice to hear,” Katherine says. David opens his eyes, meeting hers over Leah’s head. “Hey, Bean, how do you feel about going to the aquarium today?”

Leah squeals in excitement. “I _love_ the aquarium!”

“We _know_!” says Sarah, grinning.

The conversation shifts into plans for their morning aquarium visit before Leah’s three o’clock dance class, and David lets himself drift a little. He’s mentally preparing for Sarah to corner him while they’re out, trying to decide if it’s worth defending himself and his own judgment or if it’ll be easier to just let her fuss and burn herself out over it.

Probably the second one.

David lets his head fall back onto Leah’s, breathing in the smell of her watermelon kid shampoo. One of his arms is wrapped around her waist.

_Is_ it a mistake to get involved with Jack? Completely aside from his reputation and Sarah’s opinion of his suitability, can David really handle it if this falls apart? Because that’s what relationships do, isn’t it?

They stick or they fail.

He knows that’s a slightly fatalistic and oversimplified way of thinking about it, but given his history he’s got a little room to be cynical. He hasn’t let himself get close to anyone in a long time, which he’s always telling himself is because he’s busy and has a small child and has nothing to do with a defense mechanism, except that it totally is. He tells himself that it’s because he doesn’t want anybody walking into Leah’s life who’s going to walk out of it, but it’s not just about Leah.

Jack Kelly blew through his walls, though. He showed up with a smile and a laugh and a handful of friends in common and now David is –

Well, David is _screwed_.

He wants to believe that Sarah is wrong and this could work out – that he and Jack could last. But that’s scary for all its own reasons, even though the idea of it sets a small excited fire in him that he can’t put out.

God, dating was way less complicated when he was young.

He squeezes Leah a little, taking another slow breath. Complicated or no, he doesn’t regret his life. Still, this is one of those moments when he’s cursing Leah’s mom on a constant stream in the back of his head.

Leah reaches up and pats his face. “You okay, Daddy?”

David picks his head up off of hers. “Yeah, Lee-bee. Just thinking.”

“About the belugas?” Leah asks seriously. “I bet the baby one is still grey.”

“Yeah, baby, about the belugas,” David replies, smiling. He can feel his sister’s eyes on him, but he is determined to enjoy today.


	9. I Can't Spend My Whole Life Dreaming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a fun, light couple of chapters coming up :)

Jack is pretty damned happy. Work’s going well, he’s had a few neat projects lately and it’s feeling less monotonous. He’s seen Davey a few more times, with and without Leah. Katherine asked him yesterday to be her best man.

He’s almost waiting for something to fall apart, but there’s a voice in his head that sounds a lot like his mother telling him that that’s not a healthy way to look at the world and he should enjoy what he’s got while he’s got it. So he’s trying to be positive and live in the moment.

Right now, he’s sitting in Katherine and Sarah’s apartment, drinking a beer and listening to Katherine ramble about what she wants him to wear for the wedding.

“- And especially since besides you and David we have all bridesmaids, I think it’s important that you look sharp,” Katherine says. She tucks her feet underneath her on the couch. “We’re thinking about matching your vests to the girls’ dresses?”

“That sounds good, Kath,” Jack replies. “Really, whatever you want to do is fine, I’ll go with the flow.”

Katherine pulls her phone out, flipping through it for a moment before holding it out to Jack. “This is the dress I’ve got my side in, in the color Smalls is wearing in the photo.”

Jack takes the phone, looking at the picture. Katherine’s three bridesmaids – her own two sisters, plus Jack’s – are all wearing the same floaty looking strapless dress, each in a different color. Smalls’s is a soft coral pink that Jack can see will compliment all three girls’ skin tones beautifully, and will pair well with the pastel blue that he knows Sarah’s bridesmaids are wearing.

“That’ll be great,” Jack says genuinely. “You gals are gonna look gorgeous. Sarah’s are wearing a different style?”

“Yep,” says Katherine. “And we’re going to ask David, Race and Spot if Leah and Frankie can be our flower girl and ring bearer.”

“Aw, man, that’ll be fuckin’ adorable.” Jack leans back in his chair, faux toasting Katherine with his beer. “Good call.”

“Well who else would we ask,” says Katherine. “But yeah, s’gonna be so goddamn cute.”

“Those kids, Kathy,” Jack says, shaking his head.

“Speaking of Leah,” Katherine replies, “how are things going with David?”

“Great,” answers Jack. He sets his drink down, shifting forward toward Katherine and resting his elbows on his knees. “Really great. Like, kind of waiting for it to fall apart on me great. He’s smart and he’s funny and he let me talk about shapes for like an hour the other day.”

Katherine laughs. “That’s your ideal man right there, I think.”

“Don’t I know it,” Jack says. “And _Leah_ – god, Kath, if you’d _asked_ me if I was gonna want to date somebody with kids I’d have told you no, but she’s such a sweetheart, and I can’t imagine Davey without her.”

“That’s good,” says Katherine. “That’s really good. And, between the two of us, she’s told me herself that she likes you.”

“Really?”

“Yup.” She pops the p. Then she smiles at Jack, sighing a little. “She says you make David smile, and that makes her happy.”

Jack is speechless. He blinks a few times, trying to sort through the rush of emotions that came over him at her words. For a kid Leah’s age there’s not a lot of complexity in things like this – you like someone or you don’t, they fit in with your group or they don’t – but the simple approval means more to Jack than anything any of Davey’s adult friends could say. And, at the end of the day, it’s Leah’s approval he needs if he wants to stay with Davey.

And it’s becoming painfully, obviously, glaringly clear that he wants to stay with Davey.

(Despite what people think of Jack, there’s never been a relationship he’d gotten into without _wanting_ it to work. But something about this, something about the look on Davey’s face when he saw Jack outside Caffeine Diem on that first date, something about the feeling of Leah asleep in his arms during the movie – it feels like it could be permanent. And Jack is realizing that he’s never really felt that before.)

“I was –“ Katherine hesitates, “- _concerned_ at first, but I think you two could be good for each other.”

“Good,” says Jack. His voice feels a little distant, but at least he’s found it again. “Thank you.”

Katherine just nods.

“How long’ve you _known_ Davey, anyway?”

“Just, uh – Sarah introduced us, you know?” Katherine looks away, not meeting Jack’s eye. “So a little less than four years. But he’s family, I don’t want him getting hurt.”

“How come you’re never this concerned over _me_ getting hurt in relationships?” Jack asks, trying for a bit of levity. He feels a little like he’s drowning in this moment.

“Because you are stupidly resilient,” Katherine replies. “And because I don’t have to listen to _Smalls_ keep herself awake at night wondering if you’re gonna be okay. I do have to listen to Sarah.”

“She lies awake at night worrying about me fucking things up with Davey?”

“Only for a night or two.”

Jack rolls his eyes, shaking his head. “Well, I’m not going to.”

“You know what, Jack?” Katherine says, staring at him in that intense way she sometimes does. “I really think you won’t.”

\--

“What’s this I hear about you seeing somebody new?”

“Who spilled?” Jack asks, hugging his mother in greeting.

“Who didn’t?” Medda replies, shaking her head. “Spot, Racetrack, Smalls, _and_ Crutchie all sold you out, kiddo.”

“No respect for my privacy at all,” says Jack. “Not a bit.”

“As well they shouldn’t, if you’re gonna go keeping things from me,” Medda says, but her tone is light and she’s smiling. “You gonna tell me about him?”

Jack sighs a little dreamily, sitting down at the counter while Medda returns to cooking. It’s family dinner night, and Jack’s early. He always _meant_ to tell her about Davey tonight, but he’s more than a little annoyed at his siblings for taking away the reveal.

“His name’s David – Davey, I call him Davey. He works with Crutchie at the firm, he’s an engineer,” Jack tells her. “Wicked smart, a little older than me. And he’s, uh, he’s got a five-year-old daughter.”

Medda drops her spatula. “He’s a father?”

“That’s what I said,” says Jack.

_“You_ got involved with someone who has children?”

“One single child, but yes,” Jack says. He taps his fingertips against the counter. “I know that’s kind of against my brand, but he’s – _Ma_ , I’ve never met anybody else like him.”

“What’s his daughter’s name?” Medda asks, retrieving her spatula but keeping half an eye on Jack.

“Leah,” says Jack. “She’s about this tall,” he holds a hand out where Medda can see, “and she’s Frankie’s best friend, because she and Dave live across the hall from Spot and Race.”

“Well that’s a stroke of luck,” says Medda.

Jack nods. “Don’t I know it. She’s the sweetest little thing, too. She’s given all her trucks and cars names and personalities, and if you don’t use them when you’re playing with her she gets annoyed.” He laughs. “Davey keeps telling her that I don’t know all their names yet and not to hold it against me, but I’m not sure it’s working.”

“But you’re learning them?” Medda says, raising an eyebrow at him.

“ _Ma_ ,” Jack says in a playfully offended tone, “of course I’m learning them!”

“Good boy,” says Medda. “She likes you?”

“Well enough,” says Jack, shrugging. “I think she’s still figuring me out a little, but overall she seems to like me. And that’s great, because it don’t matter how much Davey and I get along if she don’t like me. I’d be out faster than I could say’er name.”

“I never would’a seen it coming,” Medda says, still watching Jack closely. “You with a kid.”

“I don’t have –“

“You _have_ a boyfriend with a kid,” Medda cuts in. “Which means that sooner or later, you do, too. At least, if things work out long-term you do.” She sets her spatula down and comes over to pat Jack on the cheek. “And kid, I’ve never seen that look in your eye before. I want this to work out for you.”

“God, Mama, I want it to work out, too.”

\--

“Who’s ready for the _zoo!”_

Leah runs to Jack, jumping into his arms. “Meeeeeee!”

He spins her around, before making eye contact with Davey over her head. “What about you, Davey darlin’? Ready for a trip to the zoo?”

“Oh, always,” Davey replies, grinning. It’s a smile that’s very quickly become one of Jack’s very favorite sights. “My favorite girl and my favorite guy, in the weirdest smelling place I’ve ever been.”

“You need to go more places, honey,” Jack says. He carries Leah over to Davey, greeting him with a kiss on the cheek. Leah pushes Davey’s face away from Jack’s.

“Places that smell weird?” replies Davey, laughing. He takes Leah from Jack’s arms, his hands brushing against Jack’s skin as he lifts her away.

“Just places,” says Jack.

Davey laughs again. Leah laughs too, which makes Jack absolutely glow with accomplishment. Leah laughs pretty easy, she’s a kid, but Davey tends to be a little more reserved, and there’s something kind of magical about being able to make them both laugh at the same time.

As they walk around the zoo, Jack makes up increasingly ridiculous animal facts, and Leah corrects him increasingly suspiciously.

“Now, this is a little known fact here in the US, but over in Africa, warthogs are known to be _master_ tap dancers,” Jack says as seriously as he can. “This zoo is where Tony learned all his best moves.”

“That’s not true,” Leah replies, crossing her arms. She pulls on Davey’s shirt hem. “Daddy!”

“What, baby?” asks Davey, also trying to look serious.

“I think he _knows_ ,” says Leah. “He knows that’s not true! He’s making it up!”

“Oh, Bean, would Jack do that?” Davey lifts Leah up, letting her frown at Jack from a more even eye level. She nods. “You think he would?”

“Um, yes,” Leah says. She sticks her tongue out at Jack. “He thinks he’s being _silly_ but he just sounds dumb.”

“Leah Marie,” Davey says sternly. “That’s not a nice thing to say.”

“It’s _true_!”

“Leah.”

Leah sighs dramatically, dropping her head onto David’s shoulder. “ _Sorry_ , Jack.”

“It’s okay, Lee, I was being silly,” Jack says, smiling at her. “I’ll stop if it’s bothering you.”

“No, it’s okay,” Leah says eventually. “As long as you’re just bein’ silly.”

Jack chuckles. “Yeah, I was just being silly. I know Tony actually learned tap from the giraffes. You seen his legs?”

“Ja _-ack_ ,” Leah says, giggling.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” says Jack.

“Alright, you two,” Davey says, a soft smile on his face, “where are we going next?”

“I wanna see the hippos!” Leah says, wiggling out of Davey’s arms. She grabs one of his hands instead, and one of Jack’s with her other one, and drags them toward the door to the exhibit building they’re outside.

Jack looks at Davey, grinning. There’s something warm and happy about this, about being out with this amazing man his wonderful, darling daughter. It feels so natural, and the more time he spends with Davey the less he can imagine his life _without_ the Jacobses in it.

“Hey, Davey?”

“What’s up, Jack?”

Before Jack can respond, Leah pulls away from them and runs ahead, and instead of the sudden _I love you_ running through his head, what comes out is, “Leah! Bee, you gotta stay with us!”

By the time they catch back up with Leah, the moment has passed. Still, when Jack looks over at Davey, the other man has a warm look in his eyes that almost makes those words bubble back up.


	10. Though I Know That's All I Seem Inclined to Do

David is happy, really happy.

That’s kind of the remarkable thing about this whole Jack situation, really. David wouldn’t have described himself as generally _un_ happy before, but he’d definitely been in a bit of a rut. Go to work, go home, take Leah to class, go home. Socialize with Sean and Tony, maybe have the girls over for a meal here or there. Movie night on Fridays.

Jack Kelly is a walking break of David’s routine, and he’s loving every minute of it.

He’s slotted so perfectly into the spaces in David’s life that he’s starting to wonder how they ever filled them without him.

He’s starting to wonder what he’ll do if and when this inevitably crashes and burns.

That’s a thought he’s trying to shake off, though, because all signs are pointing toward this being something that can – and hopefully will – last. Sunday before last at the zoo, Jack had interrupted himself midway through a conversation with David about something (he’d never finished his thought) to chase down Leah when she’d run off. It was such a non-moment, really, just the most normal natural thing in the world.

Only it wasn’t, actually. Because Jack only met Leah a few weeks ago. But it _feels_ normal, it feels natural, it feels like the easiest thing in the world for Jack to have an eye on her and care about her and for David to feel comfortable stepping back and tuning out a little because he can trust that Jack is there and Jack will protect Leah.

David had looked at Jack that day and _known_.

He is in love with Jack Kelly, and there’s nothing he can do about it.

\--

Les is babysitting Leah and Frankie.

David is regretting his life choices.

“It’ll be fun,” Jack insists. “They’re going to love you, and you’re going to have a blast, and if you hate it we can go home.”

“I’m not an exciting person, Jack, they’re gonna be bored,” says David, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Well that’s just not true,” says Jack. He pulls David in to kiss his temple. “First of all, you already know, like, half our group. Race’n Spot will be there, Crutchie will be there – and he’s always tellin’ me he wants to socialize with you outside work more – and your sis and Kath’ll be there, too.”

David takes a deep breath. “Okay. Okay, if you’re sure.”

“They’re going to love you, darlin’,” Jack repeats.

They go into the bar.

Jack drags David over to a crowded table in the corner, where sure enough David can see Sarah, Katherine, Sean, Tony, and Charlie mixed into the group.

There’s a roar of sound from the group as Jack and David approach, all excited greetings.

“Guys! Guys, this is my boyfriend, Davey,” Jack introduces, an arm around David’s shoulders. “I know some’a you already know him, but everybody else sound off.”

“I’m Romeo,” says a short guy who’s standing between Sean and Tony. “I dated Jack in high school.”

Two seats over is, “Finch, ‘bout a year after he started at the World.”

“I’m sorry,” Jack says in a low voice into David’s ear, “they always do this.”

David laughs. “Given what my sister’s told me about you, I’m not really surprised.”

“Albert,” is next, with a kiss blown to Jack, “freshman year of college.”

He’s next to, “Elmer, I was his rebound after your sister!”

Jack makes a funny little choked sound at that, which makes David laugh again. Sarah waves. “That’s late our junior year.”

“Thanks Sar,” David says. She nods, grinning.

The guy between Katherine and Charlie pipes up. “I’m Specs. I never dated Jack, Romeo dragged me into this nonsense.”

“Oh thank god, at least one of you has some sense,” says David. That gets a surprised laugh from the group, which feels pretty good.

“Ex _cuse_ me, Davey Jacobs,” Jack says, squeezing David against him. “ _You’re_ dating me.”

“Oh, I know,” says David. “But you’re a handful.”

Jack shakes his head, releasing David. “Fine, go sit with them then.” But he pecks David on the cheek before fully pulling away. “I’m gonna go get a drink.”

“Get me something fun,” David replies.

“Who said I was gettin’ _you_ anything? After what you just said!”

“Me,” says David, grinning. “I swear, though, if you come back with a beer in your hand for me we’re breaking up.”

“Heard,” says Jack. “Don’t listen to anything they tell you about me.”

He walks away, and David finds a seat at the table. “Charlie –“

“You can call me Crutchie, if you want, Dave,” Charlie replies. “All these dumbasses do.”

“I’ve known you as Charlie for four years, man, I don’t think I can overwrite that,” David says, shaking his head.

“Fair enough. What were you gonna say before?”

“Did _you_ date Jack?”

Charlie laughs. “Yeah, before _and_ after Race, when we were teenagers. I was his first boyfriend.”

“Aw, that’s sweet,” David replies. “And you still put up with him after all this time?”

“Somebody has to,” says Charlie. He leans across the table to speak in a lower voice to David. “Between us, Dave, I have watched Jack Kelly date a lot of people –“ he gestures toward Jack’s assembled friends – “but I’ve never seen him as serious about anybody as he is about you.”

“Oh,” says David. It’s good – great, even, given where the anxious part of David’s mind always wants to go – but feels odd to have it laid out so frankly. “Oh.”

Jack returns, a mixed drink in one hand for David and a beer for himself in the other. “Oh, god, Crutch, what are you filling his head with?”

Charlie pulls back, settling into his seat again. “I was thinking about telling him about the time you broke your arm in math class.”

“Oh, this I definitely want to hear,” says David. Jack pulls up a chair next to him, and David settles against him as Charlie starts the story, with enthusiastic additions from Tony and Sean.

It’s a little intense, and Jack’s friends are kind of a lot, but David’s having fun.

\--

Every once in a while, David lets himself wonder how many near misses he and Jack had before they actually met.

Take today for instance: if they hadn’t met a few weeks back by pure chance and completely separate from all of their friends, they’d still likely have ended up at this tux fitting together. It just makes David think of all the time he and Jack might’ve had if things had gone differently.

Still, they’ve found each other now.

He’s actually running a little late, so maybe he should stop being introspective and pick up the pace. Jack is waiting outside the tux place with Katherine when he arrives.

“Hey, guys, sorry I’m late,” he says. “I was just – being dumb, actually. I took a stupid route from the studio.”

“Well, at least you own it, I guess,” Jack replies. He steals a quick kiss. “Nice to see ya, darlin’.”

“And you, always,” says David. “Heya, Kate.”

“Hi, Dave,” Katherine says. “Sarah ended up not being able to make it, something came up with the show she’s working and she had to go in early to fix it.”

“No worries,” David replies. “Hopefully they didn’t break anything too big.”

“I got the impression it may have been a table,” says Katherine, shaking her head.

“Can we rewind to the part where he called you Kate and you didn’t bite his head off?” Jack says as they walk into the store.

David and Katherine look at each other, each daring the other to answer.

“We’ve got a special relationship, you know,” David says, his eyes still on Katherine. “She’s a sister to me, and that wins me special privileges, don’t it, Katie?”

“Oh, of course,” Katherine replies, smiling. “We’re family.”

Jack makes a face at David, but doesn’t question them. “Alright, who’s ready to get some measurements?” He puts on a bit of a silly voice, and wiggles his shoulders a little.

“You’re a dork,” says David. _And I love you_. He stops himself before it can come out of his mouth, but it’s a near thing.

David knows that Jack is, objectively, a very attractive man. He’s got nice features, a warm glow to his skin from time in the sun, and the kindest eyes David’s ever seen in his life. But somehow, David is not prepared for the sight of Jack in a tux.

The funny thing is that this is just a first measurement fitting, and Jack’s wearing a suit with the sleeves and legs marked up for sizing all rolled up to fit him over a paint splattered t-shirt.

Somehow, he still manages to take David’s breath away.

“Oh, you are so far gone on this boy, aren’t you?” Katherine says in a low voice. “You look –“

“Kate,” David cuts her off. He lets his head fall onto her shoulder for a moment. “ _Kate_ , I know.”

“I’m happy for you,” Katherine says. She kisses the top of his head. “I haven’t seen you this happy in a long time.”

“I haven’t _been_ this happy in a long time,” says David. He looks up at her. “I’m happy for you, too, Katie.”

“Thank you,” Katherine replies.

“’ey, how do I look?” Jack says, doing a little twirl on his toes.

David’s eyes scan Jack, skating up and down his figure. “Gorgeous, Jack. You’re gonna be a knockout at this wedding. Might even distract me from the brides.”

Jack winks at him. “That’s what I’m aimin’ for.”


	11. You Can't Undo the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha! I succeeded! Double updates!
> 
> This one isn't very long but it's important. Hope you like it!

“- no, baby, that’s almost a year away,” Davey is saying as Jack opens the door. “We don’t know if Jack’s going to be –“ he cuts himself off, making pained eye contact with Jack from the table. “Available.”

“I brought dinner,” Jack says, holding up the bags of takeout he’s holding. “Spot let me in.”

“Hi, Jackie,” Davey says. He straightens up, one hand on Leah’s shoulder, still looking at Jack.

“Hi, Davey,” replies Jack. “Hi, shortstuff.”

Leah pops up from her seat and runs over to give Jack a hug. “Jack!”

“What’cha doin’, kiddo?” Jack asks her, setting his bags down on the counter. He picks Leah up, settling her on his hip.

“Gramma called today! She said in, uh, November there’s gonna be a big reunion with all the Jacobseses,” Leah says. She throws her upper body back with a wide arm movement, and it takes every ounce of awareness Jack has to keep her balanced in his arms. “ _All_ the cousins are gonna go! And we’re gonna go, right Daddy?”

“Right, baby,” Davey says. He hasn’t moved from his spot by the table, and he’s gripping the back of the chair Leah had been sitting in tightly. “It should be fun, we don’t see the cousins much, do we?”

“We don’t see _anybody_ much,” Leah says. She curls back in toward Jack, wrapping one of her little arms around his. “Are you gonna come with us?”

“Leah –“ Davey says, and that pained look is back.

“I dunno, Bee, I’m not sure I’ve got my schedule planned that far out yet,” Jack says. He’s watching Davey, who is tense to the point of almost shaking.

Sure, they’re still pretty new, but what about this has Davey so worked up? Jack’s been feeling like this thing between them could be permanent, so why _shouldn’t_ they be talking about something that’s happening in November?

Is it about introducing Jack to his family, or is it about longevity?

“Who wants dinner?” Jack says, tearing his eyes away from Davey.

“Meeeeee!” says Leah. She wiggles out of Jack’s arms and grabs Les from the couch. “Uncle Les, help me get plates!”

“Okay, Bean,” Les says, laughing a little as she drags him into the kitchen.

“Jack,” Davey says, and it’s a little shaky and hoarse and Jack doesn’t _understand_.

“Davey, we gotta –“

“Later, Jack,” says Davey. He bites his lip. “Later.”

“I have _plaaaaaaates_!” Leah cuts in, returning with – shockingly – an armful of plates.

Dinner is normal, almost painfully so. Leah chatters about her day at school and the new routine they’re learning in ballet, Les reluctantly reports about his music ed class, Davey tells them a little about a problem he’s having with one of his projects, and Jack talks about a painting he’s planning. It’s domestic, it’s easy, it’s –

\- _tense_ , in a way Jack is not prepared to sort through.

Jack and Davey clean up, bumping hips and shoulders as they walk close together into the kitchen to manage the dishes.

“Hey, Leah-beah, you wanna go see what Frankie’s up to?” Les asks his niece, with a half a glance toward Jack and Davey in the kitchen.

“Yeah!” Leah replies. “Lemme get Cinderella!”

“Of course,” says Les, shaking his head with a smile. Leah scrambles to her room, emerging moments later with her Cinderella doll. She makes for the door, and Les pauses by the counter before following, saying in a low voice, “Whatever the hell is up with you two, work it out. It’s stressing me out.”

And then he and Leah are gone, leaving Jack and Davey alone in the apartment.

“I’m sorry Leah put you on the spot about the reunion,” Davey says, looking down at the sink.

“It’s fine,” Jack says, his voice a little tight. He doesn’t like the tension that’s crept back into Davey’s shoulders. “Dunno what’s got you so worked up over it, though.”

“It’s just a ways off from now and I didn’t want to get her hopes up that you’d be –“

“Free?” It doesn’t really make sense, but it’s what Davey _said_ to Leah.

“- with me.”

Jack freezes. “What, like, still together?”

“Well, yes.” Davey bites his lip. So it _is_ about longevity.

“That’s only a few months away,” Jack says carefully. “Davey, I know we haven’t talked about it much, but I’m in this for the long haul. I really thought you were, too.”

Davey flushes bright red. “I am, but –“

“But you don’t think I am?” Jack guesses. He takes a few steps back, away from Davey. This is – this is new. There’s a weight somewhere near his stomach, growing dread at where this conversation is going to lead.

“For _give_ me for being cautious,” Davey says, his tone harsh. “You have a record of commitment issues.”

“Oh, I do?” Jack says. He crosses his arms. “And I s’pose we’re listenin’ to what’cha sister and her gal say over my own word, now?”

“Sarah has nothing to do with this. I’ve met your string of exes myself,” Davey snaps. He points squarely at Jack’s chest. “ _You_ introduced me.”

“Because they’re my friends!” says Jack. He feels like this conversation is spiraling out of control, fast, and there’s nothing he can do about it. He’s upset, he’s hurt, he thinks Davey’s more wrongfooted than angry but by god is the whole thing a mess.

“They’re evidence that you’ve never had a relationship that lasted more than a few months,” Davey says. “So, again, _forgive me_ for not assuming off the bat that this one will.”

That stings. Jack may not have a great reputation for long-term relationships, but he really thought Davey knew this was different. “Well if you’re so worried about this fallin’ to pieces, why didn’t you fucking say anything?”

“Maybe it was because I knew you wouldn’t take it well!”

“Maybe I’m not _taking it well_ because it’s goddamn insulting!”

“Jack –“

“I _like_ you, Davey.” Jack feels desperation creeping into his voice, because he doesn’t _want_ this to feel how it does and he doesn’t want it to go the way he knows it’s going to go. “I do, but if you don’t trust that I’m at least gonna _try_ to make this work, then maybe we shouldn’t.”

“Shouldn’t –“

“Try.” Jack shakes his head. “I can’t just, like, wait for this to fall apart, Dave. It ain’t healthy. So if that’s what we’re gonna do in this relationship, then I don’t think it’s a relationship I can be in.” He sweeps his hands through his hair, tangling his fingers in it for a moment.

“Jack,” Davey says, and he sounds on the verge of tears. Jack can’t look at him. “Jack, that’s not what I meant.”

“Isn’t it?”

“The last time I felt anything like this about somebody, Jack,” says Davey, “it was the mother of my child. And look where that left me.” He lets out a choked sound from the back of his throat, something like a sob. “I’m fucking _terrified_ , Jack.”

Jack forces himself to look at Davey. “I shouldn’t be punished because somebody else fucked you over, Davey. I can’t – I’ve gotta go.”

“Jack –“

“Davey,” Jack cuts in. “I can’t.”

And he leaves.

\--

Crutchie comes into Jack’s room, where he’s been in a painting flurry for the last two hours.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asks, sitting carefully on Jack’s bed.

“No.”

“Jack,” Crutchie says, frowning. “You can’t just bottle this up. What _happened_?”

“I – I broke up with Davey,” Jack says. He squeezes his eyes shut. “More or less.”

“You fucking _what_?”

“Broke up with Dave,” Jack repeats, like maybe saying it again will make it hurt less. “He was doing this, this dumb thing where he was kind of banking on the relationship falling to pieces before long and I – well, if he’s just waiting for it, I figure I might as well save us both some heartache and end it now.” He turns toward Crutchie, finally opening his eyes. “Figured if he ain’t planning on this thing lasting, I shouldn’t either, right?”

“Oh, Jack,” says Crutchie. He sounds almost heartbroken himself.

“I thought he was it, Crutch,” Jack admits. There are tears in his eyes, tears running down his cheeks, and he can’t fucking breathe. “I thought – I thought if I could make it work for real with anybody it’d be him.”

“I know, love,” Crutchie says. He opens his arms and Jack all but falls into the hug. He strokes Jack’s hair, trying to soothe him. “Oh, Jackie. I’m so sorry.”


	12. So Just Move On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is for everybody who's spent the last 14 hours or so yelling at me. I love you all, and you might as well yell at me for this one, too. 
> 
> I can almost guarantee that 13 will be up later today, but I cannot guarantee that it will make you much happier with me.

“What happened?” Les asks, when he comes home two hours later with a sleeping Leah draped across him. “Dave?”

David, who has been sitting on the edge of the couch trying to still his shaking hands since Jack left, looks up at him.

“What happened?” Les repeats, looking worried.

“Jack – I think we just broke up,” David answers, and his voice is little more than a shaky, broken whisper.

“You –“ Les drops his voice when he realizes Leah is starting to stir. “Let me put her down, and then we are talking about this.”

David nods, and Les leaves. He finds David still in the same spot, still picking at his fingernails and trying to pull himself together.

He sits down next to his brother, pulling David’s hands into his own. “David, talk to me.”

“I – he –“

“Was it about the reunion?” Les guesses. “Did he think you don’t want him meeting the family or something?”

“No, I – I told him I was trying not to bank on him being around that long,” David says. It sounds horrible, even to his own ears. Even though he knows why. “Because I’ve been so caught up trying to protect myself that I – I ruined everything.” He laughs – a pained, broken laugh. “And he said he wasn’t going to take being punished for somebody else fucking me over, and he left.”

“Fuck, Dave,” says Les. He squeezes David’s hands. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, me too,” David says, shaking his head. “I wish I could take this whole night back.”

“Text him,” Les replies immediately. “Call him. _Tell_ him that, David. That man is so goddamn in love with you he doesn’t know what to fucking do with it, and he would take you back if you apologized and really meant it.”

David shakes his head again, a broken sob escaping him. “No, Les, I – he’s right. It doesn’t matter how much he loves me, or I love him, if I can’t get over being hurt before.”

“Jack isn’t _her_ , David,” Les says. He hooks a finger under David’s chin and forces his brother to look at him. “That woman – whoever she is – she hurt you bad. She hurt Leah, even though Leah doesn’t really understand it.” The hand still holding David’s squeezes again. “But she’s gone. And you can’t let those scars ruin this for you, okay? Jack is amazing for you, Dave. I’ve never seen you so happy in my life. And he loves Leah so much. He’s not going to be like her.”

“Les – Les, it’s not that simple.”

“It’s exactly that simple.” Les shrugs. “Jack loves you. You love Jack. Neither of you are perfect, but Dave – David Jacobs, this is _worth fixing_. For him and for you.”

David takes a shaky breath. “I just need some time. I think he does, too.”

\--

Sean Higgins-Conlon appears in David’s house the next morning. “Is it true, Daves?”

“Who told you?” David asks, chewing on his lower lip.

“Crutchie texted us at, like, midnight,” Sean says. He punches David’s shoulder lightly. “Wanted to see if you were okay.”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

They’re speaking in low voices, because the kids are playing in the living room with Les, and the two of them are standing in the kitchen as David assembles an afternoon snack.

“Sean,” David says, and he hates how fucking shaky he sounds.

“I’m not here to give you shit over my brother’s broken heart, Daves,” Sean replies. “I want to make sure _you’re_ okay.”

“I’m – it was so stupid, Sean,” says David. “So fucking stupid, I – I can’t –“

Sean tugs on David’s sleeve, pulling him behind the cabinets and out of sight of the kids. “You told Leah what’s going on?”

“No,” says David. “I don’t know what to tell her.”

“Well, is this it?” Sean asks, his arms crossed. “Or are you gonna try to work it out with him?”

“I don’t know if Jack will ever want to hear from me again.”

“Let’s say he does. You gonna try?” He nudges David. “C’mon, Daves. You love my dumbass brother?”

“I love Jack.” David sighs. “I just don’t know if that’s enough.”

“It’s enough. C’mere.” And that’s all the warning David gets before he’s pulled into one of Sean’s rare hugs. David’s got almost eight inches of height on Sean, but something about the way he’s being held makes David feel like a kid again, safe and comforted.

“Thanks, Sean.”

Sean steps back. “Don’t worry about it, Daves. We’re family, I’m gonna look out for family.” He nods firmly. “Now, Frankie’s been begging for a trip to the museum, do you mind if we steal your daughter this afternoon?”

“Be my guest,” says David. “In fact, take Les. He can help keep an eye on the kids and Tony, and I could use some time to decompress by myself.”

“I was planning on it.”

\--

All told, David gets about forty minutes of solitude.

Sean and Tony leave with the kids at two, and before three Sarah and Katherine have arrived.

“Oh, David, I’m so sorry,” Sarah says, sweeping her brother into a tight hug. Katherine moves around them into the kitchen to put the kettle on for tea.

“Sarah,” he says, “I really was enjoying being alone.”

“I know you,” Sarah replies. She pulls him to the couch. “You’d just be stewing.”

“Yeah, well, I just fucked up one of the best things that’s ever happened to me, so I think I have a right to stew,” David snaps.

Katherine joins them from the kitchen. “I was going to ask if you’re okay, but I’m getting the strong impression that you aren’t.”

“Why should I be?” David grips his knees tightly, fingernails digging into his skin through his pants. “Like I said, Jack’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me and I just – I just panicked myself into letting him go.”

“What actually happened?” Sarah asks, frowning.

“We got a vague story from Jack via Crutchie,” Katherine adds.

“Short version?” David says, looking down at his hands. “I was so scared that he was going to up and leave that I drove him away.”

“Is this our fault?” says Sarah. She reaches for David, gently touching his arm. He looks at her, trying and failing to hide the pain in his eyes. “Did we – when we were trying to warn you off of him in the beginning, did we set you up to fail?”

“It’s not like that, Sarah.”

“It sounds like it is.” She slides closer to him on the couch, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “God, David, I’m so sorry.”

“We just didn’t want you making our mistakes,” Katherine says quietly.

David laughs at that. It’s a startled, broken sound, but he can’t contain it. “Here’s me, Kate, thinking _I_ was your biggest mistake.”

“What are you talking about?” Sarah says, her brow furrowed.

“David, I don’t want to do this right now,” Katherine replies. “Please.”

“No, you know what, neither do I,” David says. He shrugs Sarah’s arm off, standing up and walking away a few steps. “I think you two need to leave. Sean and Tony took Leah so I could have some time _alone_ to process, and I don’t fucking need this – I don’t need _you_ –“

“David, we just want to help you,” says Sarah. She stands, too. “We want to make sure you’re okay.”

“Please leave, Sarah, _please_ ,” David says, on the verge of tears. “I can’t – I can’t do this right now, I need some time and space and I can’t –“ he waves vaguely at Katherine.

“What –“

“Let’s go,” Katherine says, finally standing up as well. “Sarah, we’re not helping. _I’m_ not helping.”

“I don’t understand,” says Sarah. “You two have always gotten along fine?”

“I’ll explain when we get home,” Katherine tells her. She puts a hand on Sarah’s arm, but turns her head toward David. “I’m sorry, David.”

David knows she’s talking about more than just this moment.

“Katie,” he replies. He’s crying again, fuck.

Katherine and Sarah stand still for a moment, both watching, slightly shocked. It’s Katherine who ends up moving, crossing the room to pull David into a hug. He falls apart in her arms, sobbing into her shoulder. She runs her fingers through his hair, her other arm wrapped tightly around his waist.

She’s murmuring apologies and comfort into his ear.

When he finally steps away from her, he’s thoroughly embarrassed and shaken, but he feels a half shade better. “Katie, I –“

“It’s okay, Day,” Katherine says. She’s a little teary herself. “I’m sorry.”

“I know you are, Kate.”

“I’m going to have to tell her,” she says, even quieter. “I know you –“

“It’s okay,” David says, waving her concerns off. “I think things are going to be different now.”

She nods.

Katherine walks back to Sarah, taking her arm. “I think David needs a little time alone, Sar. We can check up on him in a couple of days.”

“Kath –“

“At home, love,” Katherine says. “I’ll tell you at home.”

The girls leave, and David goes and curls up on his bed. That was shockingly emotionally draining. More than he’d expected it to be, although he wasn’t exactly surprised that Sarah felt the need to show up.

He stays there for a long time, feeling bad for himself in various ways and trying not to cry again. He doesn’t actually realize _how_ long he’d been lying there until he hears the front door open.

“Daves, we’re home,” Tony’s voice calls. “You here?”

“I’m here,” David replies, sitting up.

There’s a thundering of tiny footsteps, and before David knows it Leah is in his room. She launches herself onto the bed with him, throwing her arms around him. “We had so much fun at the museum.”

“I’m glad, baby.”

Leah rocks back to sit on her feet. “You look sad, Daddy. Are you okay?”

“Now you’re here I am, Bee,” David says. He pulls her into his arms, snuggling her close. “I could never be sad while you’re here.”


	13. We Were Never Meant to Meet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> =D
> 
> don't forget to give me a shout when you're done team

Jack’s phone is ringing. He’s very, very tempted to ignore it, but once he glances at it he can’t resist.

_Davey._

He sighs. “Hey, Dave, I –“

“Jack?” it’s not Davey’s voice on the other end.

“Leah?” Jack replies. He almost drops his paintbrush. “Baby, is something wrong?”

“Um, yes,” says Leah. She sounds upset. “You haven’t been around in a couple of days and Daddy’s really sad, so I asked Uncle Les to help me call you. You should come over, I think. It always makes Daddy smile.”

“Oh, Leah, baby,” Jack says, feeling like his legs are going to give out underneath him. “I don’t know if that would make it better.”

“It always has before!” Leah says.

“Your daddy and I had a fight, sweetheart,” Jack says, and it breaks his heart that much more to say it. “Seeing me might just make him more sad.”

“I don’t think so,” says Leah. “Jack, please.”

“I’ll think about it, okay, honey?” Jack replies. “Are you doing okay?”

_“I’m_ fine,” Leah says. She lets out a little sigh. “We got our costumes for the recital this week. Are you still gonna come?”

“Yeah, Bee, I’ll still go to your recital no matter what happens with me and your daddy,” Jack says.

“You better,” says Leah.

“ _Leah, is that my phone?”_ Davey’s distant voice asks. _“Who are you talking to?”_

“Uh-oh. I gotta go,” Leah says. “Bye-bye.”

“Bye, baby girl,” says Jack. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.” She hangs up.

Jack falls onto his bed. He does drop his paintbrush now, and his phone. Both slide off of the bed to the floor with small dull thuds.

He’s been itching to reach out to Davey for days, unhappy with how he’d left things. He doesn’t for a moment think he was in the wrong for leaving – for all that he understands where Davey was coming from, understands the instinctive urge to protect yourself from getting hurt, he deserves better than how Davey had treated him. He has his own right to protect himself and his heart.

At the same time, though, he doesn’t want Leah in the crossfire from this. Especially if Davey’s been down since their more or less breakup.

He turns his head toward his open bedroom door. “Hey, Crutchie?”

“What, Jack?”

“Do you think I’ll hate myself if I go try to talk things out with Dave?”

“I think you might hate yourself if you don’t.”

“That’s probably true, but I kinda hate it.”

“Yeah, I know you do, bud.” There’s a pause, and then Crutchie’s head pokes around the doorframe. “You gonna go?”

Jack sighs deeply, closing his eyes. “Yeah, I think I’ve got to. I’ll regret it too much if I don’t.”

\--

Jack’s hand hovers over the buzzer labeled _Jacobs_ for a long moment, before sliding down and pressing the _Higgins-Conlon_ button instead.

“Hello?” Spot’s crackly voice says.

“Hey, Spot, it’s Jack,” Jack says, before he can lose his nerve and pretend it’s a ding-dong ditch and go home.

“I was wondering when you’d turn up,” Spot says, and he rings Jack in.

He lets Jack into the apartment without comment, and Race is waiting for him on the couch. Jack sits down next to his brother-in-law, letting Race pull him into a tight hug.

“You here to talk to Daves?” Race asks.

“’Course I am, Racer,” says Jack. “Kinda question is that, huh?”

“Dunno, Cowboy, you ain’t _been_ talking to him,” Race says.

“Also, you rang us,” Spot adds, sitting down on Jack’s other side. “Not him.”

“Yeah, well,” says Jack, looking down. “Yeah.”

“He’ll be glad to see you,” Spot says in a low voice. “He ain’t been in great shape since you left Saturday, an’ I know he feels pretty bad about what he said to ya.”

“He should,” Jack says, tone biting.

“Well don’t go over there if you ain’t prepared to forgive the man, Jack,” says Spot. “Or at least to make peace with him. He’s real broken up about it.”

“Yeah, well, so am I.”

“That’s why you’re here, though, right?” Race says. “To try to make peace?”

“Leah called me,” Jack tells them. “She said Les helped her. I’ve been dying for a reason to show my face here again, and she gave me one.”

“Oh, our poor girl,” Race says quietly.

“Yeah,” says Jack. He takes a deep, steadying breath. “I think I should go over now.”

Race pats his shoulder. “We’ll be here, if you need us. Send the kids our way.”

“Thanks, Race.”

\--

Les answers the door when Jack knocks. He studies him for a moment, a faint frown on his face, and Jack is just starting to think he won’t let him in when he steps aside.

“I’m sorry, Jack,” he murmurs, carefully meeting Jack’s eye. “I knew something was up, I didn’t think you two would – I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, kid, I’m sorry, too. S’why I’m here,” Jack replies.

Les nods.

“Les, who was at the – “ Davey drops the book he was carrying. It hits the floor with a loud _thunk,_ falling open. Davey doesn’t even seem to notice. “Jack?”

“Davey,” Jack says, hoarse and quiet.

Leah appears, hurtling around the corner from her room. She runs to Jack, and he falls to his knees to let her throw her arms around his neck. “Jack, you came.”

“Of course I came, Leah-beah, I can’t say no to you,” Jack tells her. He’s pretty sure he’s crying, which he doesn’t _want_ to be doing in front of his –

In front of Leah.

But he is, he knows he is.

She pulls her head back at the sound of one of his sniffles. “Jack, you’re crying.”

“I’m happy to see you, baby girl,” says Jack. “That’s all. I’m sorry I went away without telling you why.”

“It’s okay,” says Leah. She wipes clumsily at his tears. “It’s okay! You’re here now, and you and Daddy can make each other smile.”

“I hope so, Bee,” Jack says. He kisses her forehead and stands up. “Davey, I think we need to talk.”

“I think we do,” says Davey. He looks at his brother, nodding toward Leah’s room. “Les, can you –“

“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” Les says. He scoops Leah up and carries her back toward her room.

Davey gestures toward his own bedroom. “A little privacy might be nice.”

Jack nods. He lets Davey lead him into the room, and they sit down facing each other on the foot of Davey’s bed.

“Jack –“

“Davey –“

They stop, staring at each other. Eventually, Jack nods for Davey to go first.

“Jackie, I’m sorry,” Davey says. He reaches for Jack’s hand, but pauses, seeming to think better of it. He looks away, unfocused. “I shouldn’t – you’re right. I wasn’t being fair to you; our histories shouldn’t define what this relationship will be.” He starts picking at his fingernails a little. “I was so afraid of _getting_ hurt that I hurt you, and that’s – I’m sorry, Jack, I really am.”

“I shouldn’t have left like I did,” Jack replies softly. He puts his hand on Davey’s where it’s resting on the mattress between them. Davey’s head whips around to look at Jack again. “Look, Davey, I’m – I love you. I was in this for real, for keeps. I know I got a history, a lot of mess behind me, but this was – I never had anything like this before, you hear me?”

“I hear you,” says Davey.

“And I think – I think if we can, that this is worth saving,” Jack continues. “But, Dave, I can’t be in a relationship where we’re both holding our breath that it’s gonna fall apart. I’ve done it before, and it fucking sucks.” He takes a slow breath. “If you and I are gonna try to stick this out, we gotta _try_. We’ve got to treat this like it’s not gonna fall to pieces, because if I have my way it won’t. I think that’s what you want, too.”

Davey nods. “I do, I really do. And Jack, I am so, so sorry that I ever let you think I didn’t. I’m sorry that I ever let myself think _you_ didn’t.”

“Thank you,” says Jack.

“But Jack, I’ve got to be straight with you – _honest_ with you,” Davey says with a weak smile, “I’ve been burned before, and I can’t guarantee that it’ll never affect me again, no matter how much I want to.”

“I don’t need you to,” Jack replies. He taps the back of Davey’s hand with his fingertips a few times. “I really don’t, Davey. I just need you to _talk_ to me when it happens, instead of – instead of whatever happened last week.”

“Okay,” Davey says. It’s a scratchy whisper, just a shade of his usual voice. “Jack?”

“Yeah, Davey?”

“I love you.”

Jack goes slightly breathless for a moment. It isn’t really a surprise, and Jack himself had said the words just a moment ago, but it still catches him slightly off guard. “I love you, too, Dave.”

“Jack,” Davey says, a pained look in his eyes. “I’ve – I’m so scared, Jack.”

Jack slides over a little closer. “What are you scared of, Davey?”

“I’ve been burned, Jack,” he repeats. He shakes his head, blinking away tears. “And I – Leah’s mom –“ He lets out a ragged sigh, his hands balling into fists. “You know what, fuck it. Fuck the secrecy, fuck the stories – I trust you, Jack, I love you, and if you’re going to be part of my life, _our_ life, then you deserve the truth.”

There’s an echo in Jack’s head of something Sarah said to Jack a few weeks ago, right after he and Davey started seeing each other. He’d asked about Leah’s mom, and Sarah had frowned and – _he doesn’t talk about her, really._ I _don’t even know who she is._

This is a secret Davey’s been keeping Leah’s whole life.

“Davey, you don’t have to,” Jack says. He’d do anything to keep that pained look off of Davey’s face. “You don’t have to tell me about her, it’s okay.”

But Davey looks at him, eyes wide and full of tears. “Jack –“

“Davey.”

“I’m the reason Katherine Plumber won’t let anybody call her Kate, Jack,” Davey says, and it takes a moment for the apparent change of subject to click for Jack. “I’m not an exception, I’m the _rule_.”

“Davey, you sayin’ what I think you’re sayin’?” Jack asks, slightly stunned.

Davey shrugs, biting his lip. “Yeah.”

“Kathy’s –“

“Leah’s mom.”


	14. And Then We Meet - Who Knows Why?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How 'bout that plot twist, huh??
> 
> Raise your hand if you were surprised! If you were and want to know how we got here, I have a post on tumblr breaking down the setup for it. This chapter picks up in exactly the place the last left off, so you guys get some explanation of what's going on. Have fun!

“Kathy’s –“

“Leah’s mom.”

David drops his gaze from Jack’s face to their hands, still resting one on top of the other, on the mattress. Fucking _hell_ , he has never said that out loud before.

“For sure?” Jack asks, slightly dumbstruck.

“For sure,” David confirms. He’s on the verge of falling apart, but he still finds it in him to echo Jack’s accent.

Not once since the day Katherine broke up with him has he said out loud to anyone the name of Leah’s mother. Hell, he doesn’t even _think_ of her by name.

“Oh my god,” he says, “oh my god, Jack – I –“

“That is one hell of a secret to keep all this time, Davey,” Jack replies. “Are you okay?”

“What?”

“You’re shaking, love,” says Jack. He wraps an arm around David’s shoulders, pressing their bodies together to steady him. “Does _anybody_ know? Or am I the first person you’ve ever told?”

“Sarah, I think,” says David, shaking his head. “But only since – Katie said she was going to tell her on Sunday. I haven’t talked to them since.”

“Since _Sunday_.”

“Yeah, Jack, since Sunday,” David says. “This has been – nobody fucking – Kate and I met in college, you know? I mean, you don’t know. I guess.” He lets out a frustrated breath through his teeth.

“You don’t have to tell me,” says Jack. David even believes that he means it. But now that he’s said it, now he’s put the fact into the world – _Katherine Plumber gave birth to my daughter_ – the rest of the story wants to come spilling out.

“I do, Jack,” David replies. “I need to tell you.”

Jack cups David’s face with his right hand, looking him in the eye. “Okay. If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure.” David takes a deep breath. “I met Katherine in college, and she was one of my best friends. She still is, when you get down to it. And I fell in love with her, because of course I fucking did.” He gives Jack a weak smile. “I’m sure you know the feeling. She’s a whirlwind.”

“Hard not to fall for’er, really,” Jack says, nodding.

“Leah was a mistake, although I’m sure you guessed that from the fact she was born when I was twenty and I’m raising her alone,” says David. “I love her with all my heart, but we didn’t – we weren’t _planning_ on kids. Kath doesn’t want them.” He sighs. “She got pregnant at the end of our junior year, wanted to give the baby up for adoption. That’s why I never told my family. We weren’t going to tell _anyone_.”

“But you kept her,” Jack says, glancing almost involuntarily toward where Leah’s room is.

“She was born in February. Birthday’s coming up, actually,” says David. “And we fell in love with her, right away. We both did.” He sighs, leaning into Jack. “It lasted three months. But her family came to visit in May and – and something changed. We broke up before graduation.”

“And she just left you to raise Lee alone?”

David straightens up, twisting to look at Jack. “Don’t work yourself up against Kate, okay? It was a fucked up situation, but not just for me. She told me later that her family pitched a massive fit when they found out about Bee, they threatened to disown her and pull her future out from under her. And she was young and scared, we were both young and scared, and I’m sure there was this voice in her head saying _well I never wanted kids anyway_. But she and I made peace with each other years ago.”

“Fuck, Dave, you two – she’s marrying your goddamn sister,” Jack says.

“Which is why I really need you to calm down,” David says. A distant part of David marvels at the irony of him, right now, telling anybody in the universe to calm down. He is possibly the least calm he has ever been in his life, and _still,_ here he is.

“You said yourself that this is still affecting you,” says Jack. He runs his hands down David’s arms. “You’re not –“ He pauses, a look of horror dawning on his face. “Fuck, I introduced them.”

“Jack,” David says, feeling slightly hysterical. “It’s okay. I’m okay, she’s – we’re – okay. I fucking _love_ Kath, okay? And she and Sarah are such a good fit and I couldn’t have a problem with that if I wanted to.” He shakes his head. “Yeah, when Sarah ‘introduced’ us it felt like a kick to the chest, but it’s – that was a long fucking time ago, Jack.”

“Davey, love, _how_ are you okay with this?”

David bites his lip. “There have been a lot of times in my life where I haven’t been. But to see Katie and Sarah happy – it would be worth a couple compromises, for me.” He sighs. “If I’m honest, I get by by separating Kath-from-now from Kate-from-then, and trying not to think too hard about getting left behind.”

“ _Davey_.”

“I loved Katie,” says David. “I love her, still; she’s family now.” He laughs. “It’s just a lot more complicated now than it was when we were kids, you know?”

“I’m not gonna lie, Dave,” Jack replies, shaking his head, “I don’t have a point of reference on this one.”

“I don’t really need you to _understand_ ,” David says, shrugging. “Just to trust me. Can you still trust me? Knowing I kept something this big from you?”

“Well, I know it ain’t personal,” says Jack. He runs his hands up and down David’s arms again. “Fuck, Davey. You been keepin’ that all in for a long time, haven’t you?”

David nods shakily. “It may not have been the healthiest thing, but – but after she left, and I’d already _not_ told anybody about her, I just kept not telling anybody, you know? My parents show up for my graduation and I have a four month old infant, _my_ child, and I just never told them who her mother was. It kind of set a tone.” He laughs again, shaking his head. “Katie shows up on my doorstep, hand-in-hand with Sarah, a year and a half later and we made a pact not to mention it to anyone.”

“That’s one hell of a thing.”

“That’s for damned sure.”

David flops back on the mattress, and after a moment Jack does too. David curls in toward him, resting his head on Jack’s shoulder. “Jack, where do we stand? You and me?”

“I’d like to give it a shot,” Jack says. “No holding back, this time.”

David nods. “No holding back. I love you.”

“I love you.”

David has a sudden realization. “Oh, fuck, okay. Gimme a sec.” He rolls away from Jack and digs his phone out. He sends a single text before rolling back to Jack.

_To: K_

_I told Jack._

He and Jack lay together for a while, and eventually David realizes that Jack is letting him pull himself back together. He takes a deep breath and sits up.

“Jack, stay the night.”

“I don’t know if –“

“I’m not propositioning you,” David says, biting his lip. “To be quite honest, I’m not really feeling up to –“ he clears his throat, his eyes dropping and his cheeks going slightly pink. “I just don’t want to be alone. And I’ve missed you something terrible this week.”

Jack sits up as well, studying David. “Okay. If it won’t be weird for the kids.”

“Les can fucking _deal_ ,” David says. “And Leah will be fine with it.”

“What, she used to strange men stayin’ the night with you?”

David laughs. “You know you’re the first person I’ve dated since Kate, right? Literally the first.” He picks at his fingers for a moment. “Nah, Leah just adores you.”

“She’s the reason I came back,” Jack says. He taps David’s leg, drawing his attention back toward him. “She called me.”

“I know,” says David. He’d panicked and considering calling back before deciding it was better just to let it be. “The kids owned up when I caught her on the phone.”

Jack smiles. “She’s a good kid, you know.”

“Yeah, I know.” David leans over and kisses Jack before standing up. “Come on, let’s go see if the Higgins-Conlons have a dinner plan. I’m starving, but I’m too emotionally drained to cook.”

“I could cook,” Jack says, laughing. He stands, too. “But I s’pose we could see what the boys are doing before we commit to that.”

\--

It’s Friday, movie night.

David lets himself relax into the normalcy of it – Leah has her toys lined up, Les makes hot chocolate. Jack is there, warm and solid and rambling about character design.

Leah pushed Franklin Bear into his hands before the movie started. “You need him today, Daddy,” she’d said, before crawling into Jack’s lap.

David can hardly deny that, actually. He’s still feeling shaken and off-balance, and having the bear in his arms is kind of grounding. Not quite as grounding as the weight of Jack against his left side, or as Leah draping her legs across him, but nice.

About fifteen minutes into the movie, he gets a text.

_K: I thought you might. You two okay?_

_Me: Better than I thought we’d be. You and Ra?_

_K: Better than I thought we’d be._

_Me: That’s something._

_K: That’s everything, I think._

_Me: Yeah._

_Me: Signing off for now, okay? Love you._

_K: Love you, too. Tell Jack the same._

_Me: And Sarah._

“Good news,” David murmurs into Jack’s ear, “I didn’t ruin Kate and Sarah’s relationship. Katie sends her love.”

“Good,” says Jack. He kisses David’s cheek. “You feelin’ okay?”

“I’ve been better,” David admits. “You?”

Jack nods to Leah, who’s starting to doze in his arms. “Hard to feel down with the kid around.”

David smiles. “I know how you feel.”

It still feels slightly fragile, tentative. Like he and Jack have almost started over, trust and safety still building. But at the same time, sitting curled on his beaten up pull-out couch with Jack and his daughter feels like the most natural thing in the world.

It feels like family.

And for the first time since he met Jack, David isn’t afraid of that.


	15. Now My Eyes Are Finally Open

Katherine runs a little late to work on Monday. When she arrives, Jack is standing by her desk with a coffee in his hand. He gestures to a second to go cup sitting on the desk for her.

“Jack, we don’t have to talk about it,” she says by way of greeting.

“Talk about what?” says Jack. “Can’t a best man get the bride a coffee now and then?”

Katherine frowns at him. “I suppose.”

“Kathy,” Jack says, after taking a long sip of his own coffee. “I ain’t gonna pester you about it. You and –“ He pauses, glancing around. “You both have made it clear that this ain’t something you want affecting the present, and I can respect that.”

“Thank you, Jack,” says Katherine. She’s got that little crease between her eyebrows she gets when she’s thinking, though. “I admit, I’m a little surprised. I thought you’d want to know everything.”

Jack shrugs. When he speaks, it’s quiet, just for her. “It’s not mine to pry into, I figure. He’ll tell me what he feels comfortable with. Just would’a felt weird to let the whole thing go without mentioning, y’know?”

“If you hadn’t said anything, I’d have been suspicious,” Katherine admits. She takes a sip of her coffee. “You’re such a pain in the ass it would’ve been weird if you didn’t get up in my face about it.”

“I wouldn’t really call this in your face,” Jack says. There are ten inches of space between them, and Katherine’s sat down at her desk now while Jack still leans against it.

“No, I suppose not.”

“I guess I understand now why you were so protective, though,” Jack says, more to himself than to Katherine. “You threatened to break my shins if I hurt him, if I remember correctly.”

“Yeah, well, I still might,” says Katherine, smiling up at him. Her smile falls just a little before she speaks again. “I don’t have a lot of regrets in my life, Jack. About anything. I love my job, and my fiancée, and my life, and I wouldn’t have any of that if –“ she breaks off, looking away, “but I will always regret hurting David. Take care of him for me, okay?”

“I will,” says Jack. “I promise.”

\--

Birthday parties for six-year-olds are remarkably complex social functions, Jack is learning. It’s a two stage event – the friend party, with a herd of other five and six year olds and a handful of their parents, then the family party, which Davey insists is usually a smaller affair but this year will include a handful of the newer adults to Davey’s life, which means it’s going to be a madhouse. Jack’s pretty sure the ‘family party’ will be almost as chaotic the one full of kindergarteners.

Jack wants to say he’s not sure how he got roped into planning this whole thing, but he knows exactly how. Medda had been right; a handful of months into dating Davey and he’s just this side of a parent himself.

It’s not something they put to words – it feels far too soon, and things still feel far too fragile – but it’s definitely happening.

All this is to say that Jack is sitting on Davey’s kitchen counter decorating a cake for his boyfriend’s soon-to-be six-year-old’s birthday party, and he’s not quite sure how he feels about it.

“Jackie, love,” Davey says, “I’m not going to tell you how to do your job, but do you have to be _on_ the counter to do that?”

Jack looks up, suddenly very aware of the smudge of blue icing on his cheek. “Yes.”

Davey, who’s standing in the doorway of his bedroom with a roll of streamers in hand, just blinks at him a few times. “Yeah, okay. Don’t let Lee up there with you.”

“I would never!” says Jack, playing offended. He looks back down at the cake.

“Are you going to have time to clean up before we have guests?” asks Davey.

“How much longer do I have, again?”

“Less than an hour,” Davey replies. “Which means Sean and Tony will be here within the next five minutes, I’m sure.”

“Spot and Racer don’t count,” Jack says, waving vaguely at him. “They ain’t guests. _I’m_ more a guest than they are.”

Davey clicks his tongue a few times. “You’re not a guest.”

“Spot and Race literally helped you raise your child, Davey, the point I’m makin’ is _they’re_ family.”

“Jack,” Davey says, and Jack looks up at his suddenly serious tone. “You’re family.”

“I – oh.”

“You literally taught yourself cake decoration for my daughter’s birthday, love,” Davey continues, his voice soft.

“I did _not,”_ Jack lies, but his cheeks are going pink. “This is a skill I already had.”

“I work with Charlie,” Davey reminds him. “He’s been bringing your practice cupcakes in all week.”

“Okay, fine,” says Jack. “But that don’t make me –“

“You taught yourself a new skill, when you didn’t need to, just because you know how much Leah loves your art, and how happy she’d be knowing you did this,” says Davey. He gives Jack a soft, personal smile. “You’re family because you love us, and we love you.”

“Right,” Jack says.

Neither of them says anything else, and the moment hangs frozen until –

“Where’s my best girl?” Race shouts, throwing the door open.

“Tony!” Leah cheers, running to him.

Davey laughs, shaking his head. “God, she sees you three every day of her life, and still Tones manages to get her all worked up.”

Spot, who followed his husband into the apartment at a more sedate pace, carrying his son, laughs. “He’s got enough energy for the three of ‘em, that’s for sure.”

“Poppa,” Frankie says seriously, “put me down.”

“Yeah, kiddo,” says Spot. He sets Frankie on the floor and watches with amusement as he all but tackles Leah.

The kids are babbling about birthdays and presents and their friends coming over, now thoroughly distracted by each other. Spot and Race come around into the kitchen to peek at Jack’s handiwork.

“That’s pretty good,” Race says.

“You don’t have to sound so surprised about it,” says Jack, shaking his head. “Honestly, I’ve been an artist my whole life. S’just a new medium.”

“It’s icing, Cowboy,” Spot says flatly. “Don’t get too worked up over it.”

Jack sticks his tongue out at his brother, then returns his attention to finishing up the cake. The Higgins-Conlons are roped into helping Davey finish decorating, and before Jack knows it the apartment is _overrun_.

The Jacobs apartment is not by any means huge, which means that the fifteen five and six year olds plus half of their parents have the place pretty well packed. Jack has taken up permanent residence in the kitchen, now, passing out snacks and juice boxes and chatting with Spot while Race and Davey circulate and talk to other parents.

“Jack?” someone says, an adult, prompting Jack to whip around on the spot.

“Mush?”

“Jack! Jack Kelly, holy _butts_!” Mush replies, pulling Jack into a hug. “Oh my god, it’s been _years_.”

“Sure has, god,” says Jack.

“Hey, Mikey,” Spot greets, waving.

“Heya, Sean,” Mush says. He doesn’t hug Spot, because Spot doesn’t hug.

“Mush, is one’a these little monsters yours?” Jack asks. He’s surprised, but not really; Mush and his boyfriend had always seemed destined for domesticity when he’d known them in college. Most of the surprise comes from the fact that this is another point of heretofore unknown connection.

“Two, actually,” Mush replies. “Twins, they’re in Leah and Frankie’s dance class.” He nods toward a pair of identical girls, hanging off of a man who is unmistakably Mush’s boyfriend – now husband, Jack supposes with a glance at Mush’s hand – Blink. “Lou’s got ‘em. How about you?”

“I, uh,” Jack says, suddenly feeling very uncertain.

“He’s seeing David, Mike,” Spot cuts in to save him. “He’s here for Leah.”

“Oh!” says Mush, taking it in stride. “Stepdad life, I gotcha.”

Jack almost chokes on his apple juice.

Spot pats him on the back, shaking his head and smiling. “I think you might be the first to put that to words, man.”

“Oh, shoot!” says Mush. “Sorry. For what it’s worth though, Jack, if you’re anything like the guy you were when I knew you, you’ll be a great dad.”

“Thanks,” Jack manages to get out. “You know, I gotta go talk to Davey about something. Catch you two later.”

He makes a break for the living room, where Davey is trying to organize everybody for presents. He locks eyes with his boyfriend, who frowns. “Jack, are you alright?”

“Yeah, love, I’m fine,” Jack says. “Could use some grounding, wanted to be close to ya.” He looks around at the stack of wrapped gifts. “Where’s our girl?”

Before Davey can respond, Leah runs over. “Jack! Will you sit with me for presents?”

“Course I will, Bean,” Jack replies. Davey nods, and Jack lets himself be pulled to the couch by Leah.

Leah crawls onto Jack’s lap and Davey camps out next to them. Jack’s job quickly becomes passing Leah presents and setting unwrapped ones to the side, while Davey takes photos and makes notes of who gave her what.

“How come she’s got a present from Frankie?” Jack asks Davey in a low voice while she tears open the paper. “I _know_ there’s one from Spot and Race waiting for the family party tomorrow.”

“They spoil her,” Davey says, shaking his head. “Sean and Tony started doing it help us out without being too obvious about it, if I’m honest, but now we let the kids pick something for each other and get something useful ‘from the dads.’” He smiles. “It’s a tradition.”

“That’s real nice, Davey,” Jack replies.

“Yeah, it is.”

“Daddy! Jack!” Leah squeals, twisting around to look at them. “Look what Frankie got me!” It’s a pair of remote control cars, Lightning McQueen and Cruz Ramirez from Cars. Cars being a particular current favorite of Leah’s, Jack can’t fault the choice one bit. “We’re gonna race ALL THE TIME.”

“Oh, I bet you are, baby,” says Davey, laughing. He raises his voice. “Tones, if these things make noise –“

“Only a little!” Race calls back from his perch on the kitchen counter.

“They’re playing with them at _your house_!” Davey finishes.

Race laughs so hard he falls off the counter.

The party winds down not too long after presents – cake having been marveled at, sung over, and distributed beforehand – leaving Jack alone in the apartment with the Jacobses and the Higgins-Conlons.

Leah and Frankie are playing enthusiastically with some of Leah’s new toys, while the adults sit around the table, chatting. Les is picking at his second slice of cake.

“That was a lot,” Jack says, slumping forward on his elbows.

“Aw, Jackie boy just survived his first kid birthday party,” Race coos. “Our little boy’s all grown up and parenting.”

Davey, bless him, laughs. “You’re gonna scare him off, Tones.”

“Nah,” Spot says, leaning back in his chair and eyeing Jack over his drink. The effect is lessened somewhat by the drink being a leftover pacific cooler capri sun pouch. “He’s hooked. On you, on Bee, the whole nine. Take a lot more than a l’il shindig like this to scare him off.”

And he’s right.

Jack was a little overwhelmed by the chaos, sure, but he’s pretty sure that having Davey and Leah in his life is worth a little chaos. It’s worth just about anything.


	16. And My Dreams, They're Average Sized

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is IT. This is the last chapter proper! Later today I should have the epilogue up and then Near Miss will be _done._  
>  How crazy is that?

Leah’s family birthday party is the day after the one for her friends. They leave all the decorations up, and Jack decorates another cake – again sitting on the counter instead of standing next to it, which baffles David but he doesn’t know enough about artists to raise much fuss.

In addition to the usual crowd, Charlie, Specs, and Finch are coming to the party. Albert and Romeo were both invited, but for very different reasons were unable to attend (Albert has a class to teach at the dance studio, and Romeo is _“fine but I fell down a flight of stairs yesterday so I’m not really feeling up to goin out you know”_ ). Elmer's out of town. They’ve all been dying to meet Leah, and see Davey in his element a little. Usually family parties are pretty chill, but David has a feeling this one’s going to be a little more high energy.

Sean and Tony are here first (early), again, as always. If David is honest with himself, it would be weirder if they weren’t.

The doorbell buzzes. David answers it, less because it’s his apartment than because he beat Jack and Tony to the button. “Hello?”

“ _It’s Esther and Mayer, honey,”_ his mother’s voice replies.

David turns to his friends. “It’s my parents, please be normal.”

Tony laughs and Jack goes slightly pale. Sean pats his brother on the arm. David buzzes his parents into the building. Before long, there’s a tap on the door.

“Hey, Mom, Dad,” David says as he lets them in.

“David, darling!” his mother says, hugging him. “You look happy.”

“I am happy, Mom,” says David. “Actually – Jack?”

“Yeah?”

“C’mere.” Jack walks over to David and Esther, slipping an arm around David’s waist. “Mom, this is Jack.”

“ _This_ is Jack?” Esther replies, looking Jack up and down. “Mayer, come meet Jack!”

David’s father, who had been greeting Les, turns back around. “Jack! Are you treating our son well?”

“I’m trying to, sir,” Jack says. He’s gone very tense next to David.

“Good,” Mayer says firmly.

That seems to be that, then, and David’s parents drift more fully into the room to talk to Les, the kids, and Tony and Sean.

“Did I pass?” Jack asks quietly.

David chuckles softly. He kisses Jack’s cheek. “Yeah, Jackie. You passed.”

Their other guests arrive not long after, and with each new arrival the volume in David’s apartment goes up.

“Bee, baby, come here,” Jack says at one point, chasing Leah down. “Jack and Dad’s friends just got here, they want to meet you.”

“Ja _-ack_ ,” Leah whines.

“Leah Marie,” Jack says, slipping so easily into a Dad Voice that David almost swoons. “They brought you presents, the least you can do is come say hello.”

She groans theatrically, but she lets Jack pick her up and carry her to where Charlie, Specs, and Finch are chatting in the kitchen.

“Boys, this is Leah,” Jack says. “She’s six whole years old.”

“Wow,” Charlie says, with all the drama that being six deserves.

“ _Almost_ ,” corrects Leah. “My real birthday’s on Tuesday.”

“Right, what was I thinking,” says Jack. He bounces her a little, which earns a giggle. “Leah-bee is _almost_ six whole years old. Now, Lee, these are my friends Finch and Specs – we call him that because of his glasses, see?” He points each man out in turn. “And that’s my pal Charlie. Charlie’s my best friend besides your dad, and he works with your daddy at the firm.”

Leah waves. “Nice’ta meet’cha.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too, little miss,” says Finch. “We’ve heard a lot about you from Jack and your dad.”

Leah hums in acknowledgement. “Jack?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“Am I done now?”

Jack laughs. “Yeah, baby girl. You’re done.” He sets her down and she scurries back over to Frankie, who’s anxiously awaiting her to face him in a race with her new Cars cars.

Jack falls into easy conversation with his friends, and David can’t help but go over and kiss him on the cheek.

“What was that for, love?”

“I just love you,” says David. He kisses Jack again. “Also, that was unbelievably parental and completely adorable.”

“I love you, too, darlin’,” Jack replies.

David doesn’t voice his other thought: _I want to watch you do that for the rest of my life_.

It seems too soon, things are still too fragile and precarious. And yet here he is, thinking it. Here he is, certain as hell that he wants this man in his life for the rest of it.

For a moment, David can see a future spinning out in front of him. A future with beautiful birthday cakes and professional photos (“I’m a photographer, Davey, every photo I take is a goddamn professional photo”), with art and play and a warm, solid body curled next to him on movie nights, with a hand in his own when Leah goes off to her first sleepaway summer camp or on her first date. It’s dizzying, it’s overwhelming, it’s _wonderful_ and David wants it, really wants it. He takes a breath, pulling himself back to reality.

They have cake – David gets two slices, because while yesterday’s party was for Leah, today’s is really more of a _David survived six years of parenting_ party.

When they settle in for presents it’s the reverse of their situation yesterday. Jack swears up and down he’s taking good notes and lots of pictures, while Leah sits in David’s lap and tries not to groan too loudly when she opens clothes.

Her last present is from Jack.

He’s practically vibrating with anticipation as he hands it to her. There’s nothing about the outside that gives it away – it’s rectangular, not too big but not too small. It’s wrapped in the same Christmas paper as Charlie’s. “Go ahead, Bee, open it.”

She tears it open and reveals the back of a canvas. Leah frowns up at Jack, who chuckles.

“Turn it over, baby.”

“Jack, it’s so pretty,” Leah says in a hushed voice after flipping it. It’s a small painting – maybe eight by ten inches at most – of Leah and David on this very couch, dozing in midafternoon light. Her small fingers skate across the surface, tracing her own face.

“Thanks, Lee-bee,” Jack replies. “Do you like it?”

“I love it!” she says. That’s all the warning David has before the painting is pushed into his hands and his daughter launches herself at Jack, who catches her easily, laughing. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Jack meets David’s eye over Leah’s head. “What about you, Davey? You like it?”

“Jack, it’s gorgeous,” says David. “Of course I like it. Do you two want to go pick a place in Leah’s room to hang it up?”

Leah looks up at Jack hopefully. “Yeah!”

“Okay,” Jack says. He takes the painting back from David and lets Leah drag him out of the room by the hand.

“You should keep that one, David,” Esther says, watching them leave.

“I plan to, Mom,” replies David. “I plan to.”

His parents and the boys leave not long after that, with lots of hugs and cheek kisses and hair ruffling. Sarah watches Esther and Mayer leave before grabbing her brother by the sleeve and tugging him into his bedroom.

“I didn’t want to say anything when Mom and Dad were here,” she says, “but I don’t want to leave without saying _anything_.”

“What do you want to say, Ra?” David asks, feeling tired.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” says Sarah. “Like, I guess I get why you didn’t mention it, like, before, but I brought her back into your life and you never said a word.”

David shakes his head, taking his sister’s hand – her left hand, running his fingers over her engagement ring. “You would’ve broken things off with her as soon as I told you. And neither of you deserved that.”

“But –“

“Tell me you wouldn’t have, Sarah,” says David. “Tell me I wouldn’t have ruined the best relationship you’ve ever had.”

“I guess I can’t.” She frowns. “We aren’t splitting up now, though. I was upset, I was _really_ upset, with both of you. But I love her too much to let her go over this.”

“Good,” David says.

“I just hate the idea that I might’ve been hurting you. Bringing her back and waving it in your face. You’re best man in our _wedding_.”

“If it bothered me I _would_ have told you.” David brings his other hand up to cup his sister’s cheek. “I love you both so much, and it makes me really, deeply happy that you’ve found each other. Okay?”

“Okay.” Sarah smiles at him. “Okay.” She hugs him, so tightly he can barely breathe. When she pulls away, she holds him by the shoulders, looking him in the eye. “For the record, David?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m really happy you and Jack found each other, too.”

“So am I, Sarah,” David says, his mind drifting back to that daydream future. “So am I.”


	17. Look at Me! (I'm the King of New York!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Normally, when I finish something this long or involved, I end with a big thanks for sticking with me throughout. 
> 
> This fic, which stands at about 32000 words, sixty-seven pages, and seventeen chapters took me about a week and a half to write. So instead, I'd like to thank everybody who's been cheering me on, everybody who guessed who Leah's mom was, everyone who yelled at me on tumblr when I broke the boys up. You guys are the reason I was able to make this crazy thing happen and I am so unbelievably grateful for the response this fic has received. This is by no means the end of my writing - hell, I have two different spinoffs for this fic in the works already - but it's a milestone I would never have reached alone. Thank you.
> 
> Now, as I said on chapter two: double updates, because time is meaningless in quarantine.

Katherine and Sarah are married in early summer. It’s a beautiful ceremony in an outdoor venue, and Jack remembers almost none of it. It’s all a blur of go there, help with this, set up that – but at the end, Sarah and Kath are married and they seem so unbelievably, contagiously happy that they’re hard to look away from.

Jack’s speech mentions that he dated both brides, because of course it does, but he also cries at the end because he’s a huge sap who loves his friends. Davey’s is much more subdued, less comic, but sweet through and through. He tells the story of the (second) first time he met Katherine –

“And I’m just standing there, like, oh my god, she’s a knockout!” he says, grinning. “How the hell did _Sarah_ end up with a girl like that?”

– and tears up a little at the end, but he doesn’t cry fully like Jack.

Jack dances with every single one of his exes in attendance, including both brides. It’s a long list.

He dances with Leah and Frankie both individually and together, standing in a little circle holding hands and wiggling their arms up and down.

He dances with Davey, on and off all night.

It’s late in the evening now, and the two of them are sitting at their table again. David has Leah on his lap, dozing off.

“We should head out soon,” he says, running a hand over her hair.

“Yeah, it’s getting late,” says Jack.

“You can stay, if you want,” says Davey. “You don’t have to go just because we do.”

“Maybe I don’t wanna be here if you aren’t,” Jack replies, shaking his head. “May _be_ I would rather be with my family.”

Davey smiles. “Okay.”

They fall silent for a little while, listening to the music and watching the dance floor, which is getting steadily more chaotic the longer everyone’s drinking.

“Hey, Jack?” Davey asks suddenly.

“What’s up, Davey?” Jack replies.

“Do you want to get married?” says Davey. He bites his lip, brow furrowing. “That kind of came out wrong, I didn’t mean it to sound like the world’s lamest proposal.”

Jack laughs. “I get you, I get you. Like, in the vague, undefined future do I want to get married. At all, or to you, specifically?”

“To me, I hope,” Davey says, going ever so slightly pink.

“Yes,” Jack answers softly. “I really, really do.”

“Good, then,” says Davey. He seems slightly startled, for the fact that he’s the one that brought this up. “I’d like that, too.”

Jack kisses Davey’s temple, and puts a hand on Leah’s shoulder. “Good.”

\--

Jack loves field work. He loves getting out of the office, out into the world, with his camera and his artistic mind running free.

He also loves field work because he’s usually done early, which means that he can go pick up Leah and Frankie from dance camp.

His car has two booster seats in it now, because he spends so much of his free time ferrying around a pair of six-year-olds he might as well quit his day job and become their full time chauffeur. He can’t really say he minds, though. He’s always loved Frankie, and Leah might as well be his own daughter for the spot she’s carved for herself in his heart.

“Hey, kiddos!” he greets as Race lets the kids out of the studio.

“Jack!”

“Uncle Jack!”

Leah flies to his right side, throwing her arms around him, and Frankie hits his left side a half second later. Jack laughs, looking at Race. “You’d think they didn’t see me yesterday.”

“Embrace it,” Race says, grinning. “I’m told one of these days they’ll stop thinking we’re cool.”

“I think we’re a few years away from that, aren’t we?” says Jack, ruffling Frankie’s hair. “You two ready to help me with a super secret mission?”

“YEAH!”

“Be good for Jack, okay, kids?” says Race.

“We will, Dad,” Frankie replies, rolling his eyes.

“We always are,” adds Leah.

“That is a _lie_ ,” says Jack. He scoops Leah up. “You give me more trouble than I know what to do with.”

Leah gives him a bright smile. “I dunno what you’re talkin’ about, Jack.”

Jack shakes his head, laughing. He takes Frankie’s hand, and nods to Race. “Thanks for tryin’, Racer. See you later.”

“Later, Jack.”

\--

Jack, David, and Leah are at the park. It’s a nice evening, especially now that the sun has started to go down and some of the summer heat is cooling into a pleasant breeze. David and Jack are stretched out on a picnic blanket while Leah runs off some of her energy.

The picnic had been Jack’s suggestion. David had left work a little early, ahead on hours for the week and his projects, and when he’d come home Jack and Leah were hard at work making a dinner of sandwiches and fruit.

“It’s a real nice day,” Jack had said, grinning. “We figured we could get a picnic in before movie time. What do you say, Davey?”

“That sounds lovely,” David had replied. He was a little surprised, but in the most pleasant way possible.

He’s enjoying the evening, now. They’ve already eaten, and if they want to actually watch a movie tonight for movie night they’ll have to leave soon, but David’s having a hard time convincing himself to get up. He’s leaning back on his elbows, lazily watching Jack sketch and Leah play.

He can’t think of a time he was this content before Jack.

“Hey, Daddy! Jack!” Leah calls, scurrying back to them. She has something in her hands. “Look what I found!”

She hands it to David, who turns it over a few times. It’s a small wooden box, about the size of David’s palm. It’s been painted intricately, with not a centimeter of bare wood visible.

“What’s in it?” Jack asks.

“I don’t know if we should open it,” says David, still looking down at it. “It’s someone else’s, they’re probably missing it.”

“It can’t hurt,” says Jack. “Go ahead, Davey, open it. If they’re missin’ it, they’ll still miss it in a minute or two.”

David looks up at Jack, who’s smiling at him, with a furrowed brow. Leah’s taken a seat in Jack’s lap, watching David intently.

“Please, Dad?” Leah says, leaning forward a little. “I wanna know what’s inside!”

“Okay, fine,” says David. He carefully unhooks the latch, which is a little stiff, and flips the lid open.

His heart just about stops.

There’s a ring in the box, sitting on a little cushion. That’s not the thing that makes David’s breath catch, though. No, the thing that does that is the carefully painted text on the inside of the lid.

_Davey Jacobs, will you marry me?_

David looks up at Jack again, speechless. Jack’s still just sitting there, Leah in his lap, grinning at David, but now his smile is a little more nervous.

“What do you say, Davey?” he asks, his voice a little shaky.

“Is this – are you –“

Jack nods. “You want me to say it out loud?”

“C-could you?” says David. “So I know I’m not imagining this?”

“Give me one sec,” Jack says. He carefully slides Leah off of his lap. “Baby, could you get the box from Dad?”

Leah, who David realizes now has been in on this plan the whole time, snatches the box back from David’s shaking hands and gives it to Jack.

Jack shifts from his seated position so he’s on one knee, which means he’s actually sitting a little taller than David, who’s got his legs curled underneath him. He turns the open box toward David, so he can see the ring and the words, but David’s watching Jack’s nervous face.

“Davey Jacobs,” Jack starts, smiling. “I love you. I haven’t always had the best luck in relationships, but when I met you something clicked. There’s something right about being with you that I’ve never felt before. It’s something I never want to give up for the rest of my life.” He pulls Leah toward him with his free arm in a half hug. “I love your daughter more than I ever thought I could. I love _you_ more than I ever thought I could. Davey, will you marry me?”

“Yes,” David breathes, nodding. “Yes, Jack. I’ll marry you.”

He’s pretty sure there are tears in his eyes. He doesn’t care. David throws himself into Jack’s arms, knocking both of them to the ground. It’s only a moment before they both open their arms for Leah to join the hug.

“Oh my god,” says David, “oh my god, you just proposed. Jack, we’re getting married.”

Jack laughs. “Yeah, we are. What do you think of that, Bee?”

“ _Two_ dads!” Leah cheers.

“Jack had you in on his scheme, didn’t he, Leah-beah?” David asks. He shifts back into a seated position, pulling his daughter into his lap.

“Sure did,” says Leah, smiling up at him. She tugs on his sleeve. “Put the ring on, Daddy.”

David turns his attention back to Jack, who’s got the ring out of the box and in his hands. “You heard our girl. Put the ring on, Davey.”

“I think that’s your job,” David tells him. Jack nods, and David offers his hand so that Jack can slip the ring onto his finger.

In a few minutes, they will go home. Movie night will be completely forgotten, in favor of bursting unannounced into the Higgins-Conlons’ apartment and making a dramatic announcement before returning to their own home and calling everyone they know.

But right now, David is sitting in the park with his two favorite people in the world – with his daughter and his _fiancé_ – and there is nowhere in the world he would rather be.


End file.
